Forged ID's and I Do's
by Chinita92
Summary: Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. To protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple that is! Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?
1. Prologue

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple that is! Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I wished I owned this, but you guys obvioulsly watch the show and know that Millar and Gough do, so why would I bother to lie about it?

* * *

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

Monday morning. Oh how she dreaded Monday's. Weekend's are over, back to the same old work routine at the Inquisitor. Not to mention her weekends were filled with bad horror movies alone in her upstairs apartment. Ever since he left her, it seemed that way. Even her closest friend, and relative sometimes ditched her to attend to her own love life.. something that she currently did not have. She sighed and began to look at the people below her. She noticed many things. For instance, the many broad shoulders of men in their pressed suits, how the waitress was about to- well how the waitress just tripped and dropped a tray of lattes and how a handful of girls need to retouch their roots, and wear another shirt to cover some excessive cleavage. Most of all, she noticed how everyone had already had their shot of caffeine and were getting in their morning moods. ANother thing to add to her list of things she envied at the moment. The thought of this was enough to drag her heeled feet down the stairs of the Talon.

She click-clacked her way to the counter and ordered a frap to go with a blueberry muffin. Behind her she felt a pair of eyes and the prescence of someone...

"Hey Lo, wow.. not much sleep last night?" said an animated young woman with short blonde tressels framing her heart-shaped face.

"Thanks Chlo, you just gave me a great pick-me up. In case you haven't noticed it's Monday, you must back off until.." she said sarcastically and looked at her wrist-watch and back up.

"Yeah, yeah I know... until 12:30." said Chloe, in a rather bored tone.

"Exactly." she said through a wide smile that screamed mischief.

"Gosh, Lois. I wonder. The day you get married it's really gonna take a man worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize to be able to stand you and your bad morning behavior."

"Well, see cous', that's the thing. I don't plan to marry. I'm never gonna find a man who can handle my deathly fist blows on a daily basis, 'cause it's not like they're made of steel you know."

The blonde simple smiled inwardly. _'If you only knew such man existed...'_

Suddenly a pair of muddy boots and Jordache jeans walked their way with enough blue in his shirt to well...spot him a galaxy away.

"Oh hey Smallville! You look like you're going to annoy me this morning. Well not much of a difference from any other day.. or hour to be exact. So, I suggest you don't do so until... 5 hours from now." said Ms. Lane, rambling some.

"Clark! Do you read minds now too?" said Chloe in an inside joke kind of way.

"Not last time I checked..." he said seriously and then looked at Lois who eyed him like he had said the dumbest joke ever, which was pretty dead on. He simply smiled sheepishly and averted his gaze elsewhere.

Clark Kent. Best friend of Chloe Sullivan; Nuisance to Lois Lane. Enough man to make woman melt and stay in liquid form.. like a big giant oven that's continously on and fending of some serious heat.. but don't touch or you'll get burned, now-a-days only one girl had a hold of this electrical device's broken heart, and that was Lana Lang... soon to be Luthor. This was one kitchen appliance that needed a foot-thick manual. Too expensive to buy, but nice to look at from afar, needing some- well you get the oven metaphor right?

After many death glares being exchanged in silence, finally the honey-haired brunette finally spoke up, "I'm outta here. I feel like I've just lowered my IQ by like 100 points. Not to mention that some people got to work for a living. See ya later cous'." Lois said and made her way out towards the sidewalk, but stopped short.

"Remember 12:30, or else!" she shouted and walked out the door.

After she was clear out of sight's view, Clark leaned in closer and lowered his voice, "Geez Chloe, 'do you read minds now too?'. Nice." he said dryly.

"Oh please Clark, it's not like anyone is going to catch onto you being... well humanly-challenged." she said smartly while whispering at the end.

He simply looked at her and give her a hint of a smile, barely there though.

"So why'd you call me here anyway?"

"Weeell..." she said stretching the vowel some, and reaching in her bag for a manilla folder. She took out the file and slapped it on the glass table.

"What is it?" he said, his cerulean eyes full of confusion.

She simply arched her eyebrows some and bit the inside of her lip. "Seems like our meteor freak of the week.."

**To be continued...**

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Tell me what you think, this is my first SV fic so have pity. Hopefully the story will be developing more in the coming chapters. Please review if you have any ideas.. i kinda need help as to the power this freak is gonna have.. so if you have suggestions that's be great! Oh and sorry for typos, cuz I dont have MS word at the moment, my trial on Vista finished and i havent bought it yet so please ignore the mistakes!


	2. Convene

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple that is! Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own a thing!

**

* * *

**

Forged I.D.'s and I Do's

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter One:**

**CONVENE**

* * *

con·vene - _kuh _n-veen :

–_verb._

1. to come together or assemble, usually for some public purpose.

* * *

"Simon Henkell." she stated and sighed. "A 33.1 escapee." Chloe said dryly, a worried look on her face.

Clark studied the picture that was paper-clipped on the top left corner of the opened file in his hands. Male. Tanned skin. Early 30's. Piercing gray eyes. Thick black hair. Strong jaw... and psycho written all over him.

"Okay.. so...?" Clark asked, not sure as to what the danger this man posed, specifically to him.

"Lex is making a super army, remember? Not just planting one ability, but many, combined in one super-sized G.I. Joe. This just isn't some guy that Lex was testing from, this is the super soldier Lex has been continuously overacessorizing in meteor-rock based abilities. With the history that you have, if it deals with super strength, they can hurt you just like you can hurt them, not to mention not knowing what other powers he may have..." Chloe blurted out at once, feeling out of breath. She was genuinely concerned for her best friend.

"How do you know he's going to come after me, let alone to Smallville?" Clark inquired.

"He has a chemical imbalance in his head. He's sick and will hurt someone. I checked some old newspaper articles and found that there was a spree of missing women here in Central Kansas. I couldn't really find out about any of them because they just disappeared, any record of them was mysteriously vanished. But the last woman reported missing was 2 days before Simon mysteriously disappeared, until now that he's resurfaced. Knowing you, you'll get caught in the crossfire, trying to save someone else. Smallville, being the Hotel California of tormented minds, that it is, will probably drag him here, or nearby, at least. I just thought I'd be precautioned and give you a head's up."

His eyes read over the files again. He looked up to Chloe and gave her a small nod. "Thanks Chloe. I'll keep these just to see if I ID him around here. If you find something, keep me posted, and I'll do the same."

"Got it. Well, I've got to get to work. Clark... be careful." she said softly and half-smiled.

"You too Chloe. I'll see you later." he said giving her a small nod. Chloe walked out of the Talon and once again, Clark found himself alone.

* * *

Lois Lane ran a frustrated hand through her multi-faceted locks. She was currently typing up her latest article, 'Big Foot spotted in Idaho'. She reread her unfinished piece and noticed way too many red zigzags under way too many words. Perhaps she was channeling her irritation on her bad penmanship, but in reality working for The Inquisitor was getting to her. It wasn't that it was bad, but it wasn't that great either. She sighed, realizing that Yeti's, Sasquatches and Big Foot's... She stopped.

_'Big Foot's or Big Feet?'_ she debated for a minute or so, but defeated, mentally took note to later ask Chloe what was the correct term. Either way, the point was that writing those kind of pieces weren't exactly her cup of chilled green tea, but... she reluctantly reasoned that at least she was getting her thoughts- well, more like her words, read by the public. She hoped that one day she'd get a job as a real reporter in a better paper. For the moment, she'd have to tough it out here. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice a man dressed in short khaki's and a blue shirt with the name "Edna's Flowers" embroidered on one side of his chest.

"Ahem." fake-coughed the stubby man, attempting to get her attention.

"Yeah, can I help you?" Lois asked, half-annoyed.

"I have an arrangement to deliver to a Ms..."

"She's over there." she said, interrupting the humble man. She pointed to another reporter from the bullpen, who Lois cynically swore had Turret's Syndrome... seeing as there really was no conversation that she didn't bring up her 'Beloved Pooki Bear'. She had a theory that if possibly left up to the love drunk bimbo, she'd write about him in the paper. Thank god for editors...

"Well, according to your name plate," he stopped to read his clipboard again, "...Ms. Lane, these are for you. Could you sign here please?" he said, trying to be as polite as possible.

Lois, with pen in hand, snorted, followed by a good eyebrow raising. Who in the right mind would send her flowers? It wasn't even past 12:30 yet! It must have been someone she didn't know. She finished signing her name in a large loop and the man was out of sight. Sitting reclined in her chair, she slowly turned in her seat in slow strides. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right. Stop. She crossed her arms and stared at the flowers, like they were a contagious disease. She looked back to the monitor, but could not concentrate. She once again glanced at the bouqet situated on the far right of her desk. She bit the inside of her lip and clasped her hands together, tapping her back patent pumps on the carpeted floor. She sighed deeply and surrendered to her innate curiousity. Leaning in closer, she took a large whiff of the pretty arrangement. It was then she noticed a card. Making sure no one watched her give in, she read:

_...To a very beautiful woman_

_'Wow, so original...'_she thought bitterly. She read and reread the card, looking for a name, a hint, or some familiarity of sorts but found none. She scanned the premises in suspicion. Was it someone she worked with? She then noticed a sandy haired man with a cheesy smile and.. oh god he had just winked at her. She covered the left side of her face wih her hand in a very conspicuos manner._ 'Okaaay...' _Lois thought to herself, trying to be as obvious as possible, that way, perhaps, he'd take a hint. It was plausable it could've been him, but there was really no telling. In reality the whole situation kind caught her off guard, but deep down inside she was flattered. The last time that had happened o her was well... when she was with Ollie. Shaking her thoughts away, she regained her composure and rested her finger tips on ASDF JKL; and attempted to type without looking at the keys. After 5 minutes of failure, she resorted to her comfort zone and looked at anything _but_ the screen. Subconsciously smiling for reasons unknown, she continued to write.

* * *

Chloe was working as well, only she was doing so at The Daily Planet, where Lois had recently began to fantasize as her next shot, after she would finish her stint at the tabloid paper, of course. Chloe sipped on her coffee, and with her hand, smoothed the back of her blonde bob. She was reaching the end of her article and was almost ready to print out her finished results. She opened her internet browser and typed in a website address. Before having a chance to press 'Go', something caught her eye. She scrolled down to her homepage and read a headline.

**Smallville Citizens play Missing Person's Prank**

**'Have you seen me?'**

**Name:** Lisa Leanigh

**Sex: **Female

**DOB: **12/24/1984

**Last Seen: **2/5/08

Though, one line stuck out to her from the story:

_"Police Officers searched for records on Sara L. but found no records of her existence. Prank? Or not? So-called friends urge to take action, but officials are stumped on what to do. When a decision is made, media will be notified."_

Chloe's eyes widened. '_Could it be Simon, once again?' _Just then Clark sped in. "Chloe, any news?"

"Actually... yeah. Another missing female. According to the authorities, it was a prank. Seems to me that Simon may be behind this. Who would play a prank about a missing person? First thing they do is check for records, and knowing they wouldn't find anything would be a waste of time."

"You could be right..."

"Do you have the file that I gave you this morning?" she asked urgently.

"Yeah," he answered, taking out a rolled up folder from his back pocket

Chloe scanned the papers. "No records of owning or renting any houses or apartments. _But_, it says here he worked in a warehouse by The Narrows at one point." she read and looked up at Clark.

"He could be hiding out there." he said thoughtfully.

"Let me drop my article off at my editor's office and we'll go check this out. I won't leave you alone on this one." she said.

By the time Chloe came back Lois was there.

"Guess what happened to me today, Chlo?" asked the older cousin to her younger relative, retelling the story yet again.

"You didn't mispell a word in your article?" Chloe guessed excitedly.

"Um... ahem. No. ..._But_ I got flowers..." she said and handed Chloe the card. "I figured they were too big to bring in here, so a card _should_ be enough to convince you." she said and smiled her natural flirtatious smile.

"Don't worry Lois, I believe you... so who's the secret admirer?"

She clicked her tongue and smiled, "I don't know for sure, but I have a theory that it's some guy blonde guy on my floor. He was checking me out and winked, in a desperate kind of way, kind of how Smallville here deals with the ladies." she said and shuddered.

Clark simply rolled his eyes, and shot Lois a fake smile. The gesture was returned.

"Well, Clark and I have to go visit a friend... who's... um... sick! Right Clark?." Chloe said trying to sound as convincing as possible, followed by an over-enthusiastic nod from the cerulean-eyed farmboy.

"Cous'... are you trying to get rid of me?" Lois asked in mock hurt.

"No, Lois of course not." Chloe said half disbelievingly and half guilty.

"Speak for yourself," Clark answered rather loudly, while shoving his hands in his jacket's pocket; a sign of impatience.

Lois shot a glare at Clark, but continued to speak anyway, "You've got a tip don't you? Don't worry cous', just because we're in the same business now, doesn't mean I'm going to steal your story. After all, you're family, I couldn't do that, to you." she said whole-heartedly, and batted her long eyelashes dramatically, for comedic relief.

Chloe sighed once more, and looked up at Clark in defeat. He grunted, knowing Lois bad habit of not letting things go. "Fine, the lost puppy can come too."

* * *

Clark, Lois and Chloe were sandwiched in the first and only row of Clark's red truck. Lois bringing out her inner nag, would not stop asking if they were there yet. Not to mention, kept complaining that Clark was taking up too much leg room, and then she'd say something suggestive about 'Clark Jr.', cueing Clark (the person), to redden in the face. These events followed up with laughter from the sister-like relatives.

After the long drive, they had finally reached the warehouse. They all got off and slammed the doors behind them, feeling the humidity that hung in the alley-like feel of all that was Gotham. Everyone exchanged looks, and Clark made began to walk ahead, but Lois took it upon herself to make in the front of the group. Finally reaching the door, she was the first to gloomily annouce that the large garage-esque door was locked.

"Smallville, do you have anything helpful in the back of your tru-" asked Lois, her trailing off in thought. She walked to the truck bed and began to rummag through Clark's tools.

"Hey guys, it's open!" Clark announced. "Rusty Lock." he smiled and laughed nervously.

"How does he-?" rhetorically asked Lois as they walked inside. "...and, Smallville, FYI, we're not guys, you'd think boobs would help tell the difference." she said, her high-pitched voice resounding over again. She walked past him, punching his rock-solid biceps, still being able to reach her target in the dark.

Clark, in amusement, shook his head. Remembering their purpose there, he began to look for the large electrical switch. Having succeded, he trigerred on the lights.

"Wow.. totally empty.. They must've had a lot of storage here in the past." said Chloe as her voice echoed in the large empty space.

Clark then squinted his eyes, making his x-ray vision kick in. He searched for any secret rooms and found exactly what he was looking for.

"What about those shelves?" he suggested, trying to sound as trivial as ever, although he already knew the outcome.

"What about them?" Lois asked and sniggered.

"Is there anything behind there? ...I just have a hunch, that's all."

"Yeah right Smallville, like there's going to be a..."

"..hidden room." revealed Chloe after sprinting to where Clark had directed, it was there that she squinted in the small gap between the shelves and the wall. There, she saw a door.

"Clark, give me a hand here." voiced Chloe. He jogged over and slightly crouched, pressing the side of his body against the metal. He 'apparently' had a tough time. Seemed so much so, that even Lois joined his mission to push, when in reality he had done so with no effort whatsoever.

Chloe then leaned in closer to Clark, and asked him, "Anyone in there?"

"Nope." he whispered back.

So, Lois removing a bobby pin form her hair, crouched on her knees, attempting to pick the lock. After prevailing, and strutting her army brat skills, they turned the knob and stepped into what seemed to be Simon's latest living arrangement. There they found a sofa or perhaps a futon, a desk with a computer, a half open closet, and another door leading to what at the moment, was unknown to them. Clark, wandered to the newly found door, being as quiet as possible when opening the locked entry.

Chloe found the computer, thanks to the soft blue glow and opted for the latter, it being her forte.. Lois was at the time, trying to find the light switch in the obscure room, and after achieving so, joined Chloe at what seemed to be Simon's desk.

"So why are we here, _exactly_?" asked Lois to Chloe.

"This guy is bad news, and we're trying to avoid anything from happening." Chloe answered, her mind elsewhere.

"...and the Award for Most Vague Answer _ever_ goes to...", taunted Lois.

Chloe in reality was too busy trying to find any personal information in the the file cabinets by the desk, that could serve as a password that would grant admission to his PC files.

Just then, Clark called out, "You guys... you better come over here."

"Clark, how many times do I have to tell you we're not guys, can't you te-" But once reaching Clark, she found herself too shaken up to speak.

Chloe's face turned pale and after a couple of minutes of complete silence, she found the voice that she forgot she had. Speaking up, she said, "Lois... I have a feeling, you don't need to worry about that desperate blonde anymore..."

**To be continued...**

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, and probably not that great of a chapter, but I promise things will get going soon. Just so you know, this is a CLOIS fanfic. I know you're probably like, huh? But we'll get to my summary's plot, I PROMISE!. Thank you for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! Btw, if you'd like, you could go to my profile, and check some fanart I've drawn for Comic book characters, as well as a Clois fanvid I did (you can find it in my updates on my profile). 


	3. Fetish

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple that is! Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** No ownage here...

**

* * *

**

Forged I.D.'s and I Do's

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Two:**

**FETISH**

* * *

fet·ish:

_-noun_

1. an abnormally obsessive preoccupation or attachment; a fixation.

* * *

For once in Lois's life, it seemed that she found no words to express her emotions. Nada. Zip. Zilch. In genuine efforts, she opened her mouth to speak, but not a sound was heard. So, she inhaled a deep breath, recollected her thoughts, and attempted to voice her opinion once more, only this time, did she succeed in doing so.

"Is it just me, or did someone inject me with a concentrated dose of stupefied?" Okay... so it wasn't an eloquent thought, but a thought nonetheless.

"I guess my hunch was dead on...I just have no darn clue as to why.." Chloe thought aloud, holding up a slip of paper with none other than a confirmation number from Edna's Flower's.

"What I would like to know, is why my life is in screen caps, cut and taped on a wall." Lois said, stroking the glossy images. Before her lay a wall covered with photos of herself. This Wall, had _nothing_ on Chloe's no longer existent Wall of Weird. Not a blank space could be seen, only pictures of either Lois alone, _or_ others with Clark, Chloe, Mrs. Kent, heck, there were even pictures of her walking Shelby, in mid-sneeze.

"He's got your stories from the Inquisitor, and the few you wrote for Chloe at The Torch..." Clark said, turning his face to Lois. The more he spent time in that room, the more he worried over Lois's well-being.

"WHO THE HELL DOES THIS CREEP THINK HE IS?! I am _no _Playboy centerfold! Taking pictures of me changing, has_ totally_ crossed the **mile-thick** yellow line! I'm gonna hunt him down and dislocate some joints." Lois said once coming across some, ahem, _revealing_ pictures. She rolled up her sleeves, and began stomping her way out of the room. To her dismay, Clark grabbed her wrist, and wouldn't let go of her, this causing her to be temporarily rooted to her spot.

"Let! Me! Go!" Lois said tugging against Clark's death-grip.

"Lois, you can't leave, you don't know what you're up against, we have to find out why-" Clark sighed frustrated and tightened his hold against a squirming Lois, "-we have to find out why he's obsessing over you, and much more importantly what to do about it."

"_Clark_, if you think your Kent charm is going to help you this time, you're dead wrong. I'm going to find that perverted bastard and rearrange his face to _my_ liking, _Capiche?_" Lois said, her eyebrows raised and her eyes large, a tight smile on her lips... the look of a fed up Lane.

"Lois... you're in Gotham. You don't know your way around, and much more importantly where Simon is... and if you find him you'd be in great danger."

Lois thought about what Clark said. She wasn't scared of what Simon would do to her, but she knew she didn't know where to find him. She bit the inside of her cheek and glared at Clark menacingly.

"I _hate_ when you make sense... makes the world feel wrong." Lois said heatedly, and walked passed Clark.

He simply rolled his eyes, rather frustrated himself. At least he had convinced Lois of staying. God only knows what trouble she would've gotten into if she had her way. He was brought out of his thoughts when Lois turned back around, facing Clark.

She put her hands out in front of her and shook her head, attempting to move her bangs from her eyes. She blinked several times and began to speak, "Look.. Smallvi-"

"I cracked his password code!" Chloe yelled triumphantly from the other room, interrupting Lois's enigmatic thought. Chloe had left to the computer room when she attained the confirmation number, and had finally gained access to his files.

Lois sighed, not knowing if it was for relief that she had been interrupted, but gladly took advantage of it.

"Is it safe for me to walk through the door, or are you going to play human shackle again?" Lois asked, putting on her game face while dramatically rubbing her wrists.

Clark swallowed hard, not knowing why his mind suddenly side-tracked him with very vivid thoughts. He laughed nervously and coughed letting his hand rest on the doorknob, the other gesturing her to walk through the door, granting her a safe, and non-abusive exit.

Lois, shot him a curious glance and both walked over to the end of the other room, where Chloe was typing away.

"Okay, so I was rummaging through some of his things, and found his high school ID, containing his ID number, so I threw in his initials, and voilá, total access!" she stated proudly, looking up at Lois and Clark.

"...and." Clark pried, rather impatient. Chloe looked up at him questionably, and turned her head to her right to look at Lois who stood over her other shoulder. She shook her head in confusion, a secret smile creeping up her lips. Refocusing her attention on the screen that lay in front of her, she immediately continued to speak.

"I found a lot of computer files on a Ted Gibbon, which I found quite weird, I must say so myself... so-"

"What did it say?" Lois asked, her curiosity peaked.

"I was getting there..." Chloe said, glancing at Lois, knowing her typical behavior so well. She smiled to herself and attempted to complete her sentence again, "_So, _I searched him up, and found nothing suspicious. Regular guy, worked as a firefighter in Smallville 3 years ago..."

"Why am I not surprised? Well, maybe we should go find him, see what he knows about Simon." Lois suggested.

"Not happening. Our Ted Gibbon is dead."

"How long ago?" Clark asked.

"Few months." Chloe said. "-wait..." She began typing some more, and finally finding the object of her desire, spoke on, "Another D event happened a year ago."

"Who _else_ died?" Lois asked, rather loudly, receiving an annoyed look from the only plaid-wearing male in the room, or more like in a 100 mile radius.

"Not a _death_ Lois. A _divorce_, on Simon's part, and you're not going to believe from who..."

"Who...?" Lois asked suspicious.

"Louise Leigh-Ann."

"...and?" Lois asked.

"Say it 5 times real fast." Chloe commanded.

"Louise Leigh-Ann, Louise Leigh-Ann, Louise Leigh-Ann, Louise Leigh-Ann, Louise Lei- oh..." the brunette female said softly, realization hitting her upside her head. The names sounded the same.

"What does that mean then?" Clark asked.

"Let me search Louise up, and I'll let you know in a sec."

Lois began biting her nails, a habit she never accustomed to do. Clark stared at her intrigued, for he never took Lois for a nail-biter.

"What?! I tried dropping it in the 5th grade, I guess it came back to haunt me.." she stated annoyed.

Clark simply shrugged the subject off, for he preferred, _at the moment_, to let Lois have the last word.

"Bingo. The last puzzle piece. Louise, after divorcing Simon, wed Ted. Simon got drawn into 33- um, the army, about the same time of Ted's death. This is what I think happened..."

"Simon Henkell, married the love of his life, Louise Leigh-Ann, and had a pretty great marriage, or so he thought. After having marriage problems, Louise was too afraid to leave him. So she had a lover, Ted Gibbon. Simon found out, Louise then divorced him, married Ted, and Simon killed the guy. But, ever since Louise had left him, he's been searching for his perfect Louise, as in a sick and deranged way to 'salvage their marriage'. The report on the missing woman I read earlier today was on a Lisa Leanigh, sounds somewhat similar, I would say. I'm almost sure that the other missing woman spree also had similar names, and not to mention the single status he's desperately looking for."

"...To make sure history won't repeat itself.", Clark said softly.

"Exactly."

"Wait. You mean there were others _before_ me?" Lois asked.

"Yeah..." Chloe said, her expression troubled.

"Well, what happened to them?"

"They disappeared off the face of the Earth, or so it seems..."

Lois gulped.

"So why send Lois flowers, and not just kidnap her." Clark said nonchalantly, this action receiving a vicious glare from the subject of his question.

"He probably wanted to reenact how they met or dated. It's likely he did the same thing with the other women. I could only imagine that when something so radical that the victims didn't have that Louise had, he would dump them. Then, wait, that way he wouldn't be suspicious. None of the victim's friends or family has pointed him out as a possible suspect. After a while, only he knows what he did to them."

"So, let's say he attempted to conquer me with his flowers, and it turned out...I don't know... I started to date someone right after, he would make me inexistent?" Lois stated, her voice high-pitched.

"That probably happened to most of these women."

"So what are we supposed to do...?" Lois asked, feeling drained.

Clark who had been leaning on the wall behind them, listening to the conversation, meekly raised a finger, as if asking for permission to speak.

"What now, Smallville?" Lois asked frustrated.

"What if she changed her identity, a different name. No double L's." Clark said, directing his question to Chloe, who seemed less likely to hurt him.

"Maybe that _could_ work... but seeing as he's keeping tabs on Lois, he might be onto her intentions, and not let that change his. He'd probably_ still_ be convinced that Lois Lane is his new and improved Louise..."

"Well would he be able to pass up two things?" Clark said, an idea brewing up on his '_big _brain'.

"What are you trying to say?" Lois and Chloe asked in unison.

Clark swallowed. "Well, _what if, _only hypothetically speaking, she changed her identity _and_ married someone?"

"Marry?!" Lois asked incredulously. "Are you on crack?!"

"Not for real, Lois. You know, like a _fake_ marriage. Meaning it wouldn't be real..." he said as if teaching a 5 year old pre-algebra.

"I know what fake means Clark!" Lois said, trying to redeem herself from Clark's put-down.

"I'm sure you do Lois..." he said, subconsciously glancing at her chest.

Lois stood agape and flew her hands over her bust. "You pervert!" Lois said, surprised by Clark straight-forward comment.

He chuckled at her reaction. "Just so you know, I happen to be a _natural_ C cup! Thank you very much!" Lois said looking disgustedly at Clark.

"You guys, are you done with the 'Anatomy of the Female Body' chapter? Let me know when you're ready to start 'How to Get Rid of an Obsessed Stalker'..."

Clark coughed, slightly, embarrassed at his immature outburst.

"Sounds good to me.." Lois said rolling her eyes at Clark.

"Me too." he said smiling forcedly.

Chloe eyed at the playful pair in front of her and giggled to herself. She turned her attention to Clark,"Well, you asked about a fake marriage, right?"

"Yes, I did.."

"Well... seeing how his mind works, it could be enough to get him to forget Lois. If he finds out she's married and since they haven't even 'dated', he has no reason to get rid of Lois. To him, no one know his intentions." Chloe said, a sound of hope in her voice.

"Fine! I'll call the General to recruit a trained soldier who can 'marry' me and protect me from the Psycho Cyclone. Problem solved!" Lois said and dug in her pocket to fish out her phone, getting ready to make a call, when Chloe snatched it from her hands and closed it.

"Uhhh... that was for what, now..?"

"Lois, I hate to be the bearer of bad new, but Simon isn't just some crazy from Belle Reeve like you think..."

"Oh, I'm sorry.. Arkham Asylum then, makes no difference though.." she said, murmuring her last thought.

"Lois... Simon is a meteor freak.. if you want to call it that," Chloe thought how to put what she wanted to say in words without mentioning 33.1. "He's more like a _super_ meteor freak. He has more than one ability, most likely including strength, more strength than your average Joe, or average soldier."

"Well, _in that case,_ I'll get the phone book and look up a cheap Funeral Home." Lois said, her spirits crushed.

Chloe knew what was coming and shot a look at Clark. Clark felt a gaze and looked up at Chloe who was looking at him and then Lois, her head motioning to the sighing Lane that stood a few feet from her, making a call to what she assumed was a Funeral Home. He opened his eyes wide, and shook his head, avoiding Chloe's eyes.

"Clark!" Chloe whispered, her voice not audible to the human ear.

Clark looked up to her pleading eyes and sighed. He didn't like what was coming, but he knew he had no choice.

"Lois."

"Hold on Smallville, They're about to take me off hold."

"Lois.."

"I said give me a second!"

"LO-IS!"

"WH-AT?!" she said mocking his tone.

"Hang up the phone. No one is going to die."

Lois rolled her eyes, and covered the receiver.

"I'm not calling the Funeral Service, you _idiot_. I'm ordering pizza for later. That is, unless you guys want me to cook..."

"-NO!" Chloe and Clark yelled out at the same time..

"Thought so. So what were you saying Smalls'?"

Clark drew in a breath and couldn't believe what he was about to put himself into.

"Lois, I.. I... I could protect you."

"Smallville, I'm _pretty_ sure the pizza guy isn't going to whack me with a box of bread sticks..." Lois said and snorted.

"I'm talking about Simon, Lois."

Lois eyes opened up to the size of coins. There were a few seconds of silence, and before Clark knew it, silence was no longer heard.

"Cla-" Laughter. "You're-" Laughter. "Serio-" More Laughter. Lois was holding her stomach in an attack of hysterics, attempting to speak.

Clark look very much annoyed and not to mention exasperated. He was about to start complaining when he heard something.

It was a car, not too close, but it was definitely coming in their direction. So, Clark pulled on Lois' hand and dragged her, still giggling. Chloe looked confused but once Clark looked her way she knew they had to leave, _pronto_. She quickly gathered her belongings and followed suit.

The car was coming closer.

The trio walked out the room and walked quickly towards the main entrance, shutting off the power on their way out. Once outside, it was then that Lois looked at her and Clark's hands clasped together. Clark looked in the direction of Lois' gaze and awkwardly released her hand. The three of them then piled into the truck. Thankfully, Lois' laughter had finally subsided, but now her curiosity had surfaced.

"Why are we leaving?"

"I heard a car coming."

"Well, you must have been hearing things because there's _nothing _here." she pointed out, matter-of-fact-ly.

Clark, ignoring Lois, revved the engine, and backed the car up onto the main road. After making a 3-point turn, he turned left. Even though doing this made the trip back to Smallville longer, he wanted to avoid running into Simon on the road.

Luckily, they didn't.

* * *

During the whole trip back, Lois would not seize to tease him, indicating everything was normal, for now.

"Smallville, everyone knows your plaid-wearing habit is annoying, and theoretically speaking, can cause eye damage over time,"

Glare.

"...but seriously, wearing plaid isn't going to knock Simon unconscious... Maybe if you, I don't know, spray some crop fertilizer in his eye, you can distract him and get one of your horses to kick him in the gut, you'd have a something to work with... but, other than that, you're a _goner_." Lois said, chuckling, proud of her taunt.

"And you would what? Ramble your way out of his psychotic clutches?" Clark said, defending himself.

"Err.. no! I _happen_ to be a third-degree black belt, if you must know!"

Clark parked the truck on the gravel driveway, having reached the farm after the long drive. He took off his seatbelt and threw Lois a blank look.

"...That means I can kick some serious gluteus maximus..." she said mirroring his 'fake' comment he gave her earlier.

Clark still looked at her bored, as if waiting for to finish.

"...that means butt, in case you didn't know that _either._" Lois said while slamming in the truck door shut.

"Remind me to never agree to tag along on a road trip with you two." Chloe said, rubbing her temples while walking towards the barn.

Clark and Lois shrugged and followed Chloe up the stairs that lead to Clark's loft. Once there, the younger cousin flopped on the red couch, and threw her feet up on the chest that served as a coffee table. She exhaled and turned her attention on Lois who was standing up. She waiting for Chloe to say something that was obviously wanting out.

"Lois, Clark is right. He _can_ protect you." Chloe said, breaking the silence.

"Cous', really.. I get that Clark's a friend and all.. and I'm sure you think of him very highly. But really, there is no need to be blind now..."

Chloe looked at Clark, and from the look on her face, he wasn't liking where the conversation promised landing.

"I think you should tell her." Chloe said, cut and dry.

Clark choked on his spit, and coughed, trying to find his voice. "Tell her?! Are you serious?" Clark said his mouth hanging open.

"Tell me what?" Lois said, throwing glances to Chloe, then Clark, and back to Chloe again.

"Clark, she's not going to give into pretending to be married to you, unless she has a damn good reason to believe that you could watch out for her. Therefore, you _must_ tell her." Chloe said, her blond hair bouncing with her head movement.

Clark didn't like it anymore than the next guy (then again, the next guy wasn't Kryptonian), but knew Chloe was right. He really wasn't sure how she was going to react to his secret, because this was Lois they were talking about, the Lois that was more unpredictable than the personality changes of a schizophrenic.

"Okay, you guys are scaring me... Spill it out already." Lois said crossing her arms over her chest.

Clark inhaled, and exhaled. It was now or never.

"Lois, do you see that seat over there?" Clark said pointing to the chair by his desk.

"Um, yeah...?" Lois inquired, confused.

"Sit in it." Clark ordered.

True to her nature, Lois didn't listen. "No thanks Smallville, I'm fine..." she said, irritated that Clark would give her orders.

"Fine, Lois, suit yourself..."

**To be continued...**

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

CLIFFIES! Better get used to them, cause that's how I like to end my chappies! MWAHAH!!

Anywho, I _totally_ forgot to thank Vaapad for the super freak idea, it really worked for the story, so thanks Vaapad! I also want to thank all my reviewers. You guys are awesome, it really pushes me to write more, so keep them reviews coming!

I'm thinking that for every chapter I'm going to post a link to a Clois vid I've done, so if you haven't watched "Just a Friend" you can, as well as my new video **"Pretty Young Thing"**. Links are on profile!


	4. Divulge

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple that is! Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything. :(

* * *

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Three:**

**DIVULGE**

* * *

di·vulge:

–_verb_

to disclose or reveal (something private, secret, or previously unknown).

* * *

Chloe and Clark looked at Lois expectantly, waiting for a reaction... a blink, a smile, a sarcastic remark, a shift in her seat (which she unknowingly sat in after Clark's unveiling got deeper, but they wouldn't bring that up, nope... not if they knew what was good for them). They waited for anything... But, ever so slowly did Lois' face come alive. A quick bat of the eyelashes, an eyebrow raise, parted lips, a shift in her gaze...

Clark coughed, trying to break Lois from her state. "Lois.."

Hearing her name, Lois looked at Clark, her eyes dancing. She was on the verge of...

"Lois, dear cousin of mine, please say some-" Chloe's face grew confused, for Lois was... giggling.

"Smallville... oh, Smallville.." Lois said, sighing happily after her laughter subsided.

"What, Lois?" Clark said, growing desperate.

She simply looked at him in a 'very funny, you got me' kind of way. "You guys are a bit off, April 1st already passed, but I'll give you guys credit, that's amusing."

"Lois. We're not playing." Clark stated, his voice angry.

Lois stood up and slowly walked to him, her face inches from his. She looked in his eyes, waiting for a falter, half a grin. For, really, it was time they let the joke go.

"Come on, what was it that you guys wanted to tell me. For real. Spill it Out!!"

"I told you already. You just don't want to believe it. Stubborn."

Lois glanced at Chloe's solemn face and back to Clark's."You're serious." Lois stated incredulously, backing away from them. She didn't ask or question.

"_Why _are you serious?"

"Because it's the truth." he said dryly.

Lois eyed Clark suspiciously, she never knew him to be a pathologic liar.. and more than anything in the world, she hated liars.

"So... _You_, Clark Kent, are telling _me_, Lois Lane, that you are from another planet called... Crib-tan-"

"Krypton," Clark said, correcting her.

"Whatever... and you have... special powers?" she asked disbelievingly.

"I wouldn't say powers..." he said humbly.

"Abilities, ... same thing."

"Well.. yes.."

"Prove it."

"What?"

"Prove it." Lois repeated, loud an clear.

"Okay..."

"Where's your space ship?" she asked, expectantly, searching the premises.

"Um... space ship?"

"Yeah, space ship.." she repeated, irritated.

"Well.. I don't have it.. anymore."

"_Oh really_. What happened to it? "

"It blew up." he said awkwardly.

"It blew up." Lois repeated his last sentence, flatly.

"It blew up." he said confirming.

"It blew up?!"

"Okay, we know.. it blew up." Chloe said said, getting comfortable in the couch. Things didn't promise to be short.

"Do you guys think _I'm stupid_?" Lois stared blankly at Clark, her head slowly shaking from side to side,"I knew it, you're playing me. I can't believe I was even considering..." Lois said, heading for the stairs, her voice trailing off, it becoming angry mumbling.

"Lois.. Lois, wait." Clark yelled out, pondering what to do to convince her. He looked to Chloe for guidance, and she shrugged helplessly.

"Forget it Clark." she stated, having reached the bottom of the barn.

Just then, Lois bumped into something. She looked up to see... Clark?

"How did you do that?" she asked huskily.

"I told you... I have special abilities." he said shyly.

Lois walked away from and gave him a once over. It was hard to believe, it really was, but she heard him a second ago on the top of the stairs, and the next second he was her shock absorber. She hadn't even heard him walking down the steps. A small smile played on her lips.

"What else do you got?" asked a grinning and intrigued Lane.

"Clark, why don't you grab a shovel while you're down there" Chloe suggested.

"Shovel?" asked Lois, while climbing up the steps.

Once Lois reached the loft, Clark was already there with shovel in hand. It still caught her a bit off guard, for it would take a while to get used to... Clark outstretched his hand out, gesturing for Lois to grab the shovel.

"What do I do with _this_?" she said, quizzically gazing at the huge scooper in her hands.

"Hit me with it."

"Oh really?" Lois asked, liking the sound of that.

"Yep, just picture all those times that I annoyed you out of your wits."

"Annoyed? You say it like it's past tense... To be accurate, it's more like a constant feeling of the present."

"Sure, Lois. Just hit me already before I change my mind."

"Whatever you say, Smallville."

Hearing that, took a huge weight off his shoulder. Lois knew about him, but she saw him no differently. He was still the same _Smallville_.

Lois looked at Clark for reassurance, and he nodded. Lois kicked up her knee, and brought the shovel above her shoulder, getting ready to swing. That is, until Clark stopped her.

"What? What happened?" she said after being halted.

"Sorry, I forgot... you'll hurt your wrist if you hit me with that."

She sucked her teeth and sighed. _'So much for that.'_

"Here, let me." he said, as he pried the shovel from Lois' grasp.

"Watch." He brought the tool to his face, and slammed it on his head. In the process he heard Lois yelp.

Lois had flinched and covered her eyes, afraid of seeing massive amounts of blood. She slowly looked up when she heard no sounds of agony. Instead, she saw Clark smiling triumphantly with a dented shovel in his hand. She walked over slowly and passionately pulled on Clark's shirt, bringing him down to her eye level. She looked deep into his eyes and began to...

...examine Clark's head closely. Clark gulped nervously, feeling uneasy of the close proximity. But, Lois was too preoccupied to notice this for she was searching his forehead and hair for head wounds.

"...Not a scratch." she whispered amazed. Clark felt her warm breath against his jaw, and subconsciously let out a soft moan.

"Cool, huh?" said Chloe, who was observing the situation. She walked over to Lois and slung her arm around her neck. Chloe suggestively eyed a confused Clark who was now blinking rapidly, holding his eyes.

"Clark, are you okay?" asked Lois, who noticed his irregular behavior.

Then, all of a sudden, Clark lit the wooden banister on fire... with his eyes. Lois rushed to and began to throw a blanket on the fire, but it seemed to only make it worse. She frantically looked at a calm Chloe and a perplexed Clark, who, after receiving a nudge from Chloe, began to suck in air. In a blink of an eye, Lois felt a cold gush of wind blow her hair, and just as it came it was gone. She eyed the loft window and noticed the dry and hot weather of night. It didn't seem to be windy at all, and even if it were, no amount of wind could put out a fire.

She smiled knowingly at Clark. "So... let me make a check list, strong, fast, hot eyes, and extremely fresh breath... Am I missing anything?"

"The right terminology would be, Invulnerability, X-Ray Vision, Heat Vision, Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Breath, and Super Hearing.." Chloe said smartly.

"So you're like a Super-Human, scratch that, you're not human... more like a Super-Man." Lois said amazed. "Hold up, did you say X-Ray Vision and Super-Hearing?"

"Err.. yeah. ...Basically I can see through solid objects and hear things other people can't."

Lois folded her arms over her chest and walked in Clark's direction. He knew what was coming.

"Prove it." she said seductively.

He walked away nervously, feigning to be searching for something to use. At his desk, he called over his shoulder, "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, X-Ray first..." she said resting her hands on his back. He could hear Chloe chuckling, and Lois containing her own laughter.

"Fine." he said viciously.

Lois stood, her hands on her hips expectantly. Clark folded his arms over his torso confidently and squinted his eyes, focusing. He smiled and looked at Lois.

"You have your cellphone in your back pocket."

"So? I always have it there."

"It's true.. how about something else, Clark... something you _wouldn't_ know." Chloe said mysteriously.

"Okay..." Clark refocused his vision again, this time a playful smirk plastered on his face.

"Well?" said Lois.

"Your bra is black-"

Her face was smacked with shock, but she regained her composure,"Lucky guess." she said, avoiding the truth.

"-with red lace and a bow in the center. Victoria's Secret. 32 C. Your initials are written in blue permanent marker on the tag."

Lois tapped her foot and rolled her eyes. She grabbed her shirt and peeked inside. Sure enough the bastard was right.

"You proved your point. A word of advice though... avoid giving in to the temptation of X-raying me, because it can get _**very**_addictive and may result in deadly consequences if over-dosed." Lois said teasingly.

"Now, now Lois. Let's leave poor Clark alone. We wouldn't want him to burn the whole barn down, now would we?"

"Please, he _wants_ us to leave him alone. If y'know what I mean..." Lois whispered directly in Chloe's ear.

Clark, hearing them, said, "And then you say that _I'm_ the pervert.."

"Okay! You've just proved all your abilities, _no way_ would a normal person be able to hear a Lane-Sullivan whisper."

"I guess.." Clark said.

"Oh, Lois, another thing you should know..." Chloe said, facing her cousin.

"Yeah, what's that?" Lois said, taking a piece of lint off her jeans.

"Clark_ does_ have a weakness." Chloe said.

"Oh, yeah... Lana, I know." Lois said honestly.

"Not _that kind _of weakness, but a _true_ weakness." Chloe said, and glanced at Clark, letting him finish where the conversation was going.

"Green Meteor Rocks." Clark said, and instantly wished he hadn't. He had a feeling Lois would pop one out every time he said something stupid, which in her book, was always. If that was the case, she would surely kill him.

"A pretty rock?" Lois asked, incredulously.

"Not just any rock... They're radioactive pieces of Krypton, my home planet. That's why it's called Kryptonite."

"Hmmm.. interesting. Kind of like taste of your own poisonous medicine."

"Um.. sure..?" Clark said, not completely grasping what she tried to say.

After an awkward exchange in glances, Chloe spoke up, "So Lois, now that you know about Clark... does this mean you're going to let him protect you from Simon?"

Lois had completely forgotten about the whole Simon ordeal. She had gotten so caught up in learning Clark's secret, that she hadn't remembered why she had learned it in the first place... To be protected.

"Do I have a choice?" Lois said, simulating annoyance.

"You know what that means though, right?" Chloe asked her cousin.

"What are you getting at?"

"Well, that means... you guys have to forget who you are, at least for a bit. New identities and new spouses... both of these fake of course."

"Thanks for the reminder." Lois thought bitterly aloud.

"Hopefully, it'll be over before we know it." Clark said hopeful.

"_That_ I agree with you, Smallville."

"Well, I'll get on this tomorrow bright and early. Hopefully, I'll get everything set by the end of the day, because you two need to leave as soon as possible."

Hearing someone coming up the steps, the three turned around, being caught off guard.

"Oh, hi Lois, didn't know you were here. I came up to say that dinner's ready. So, come on down and wash up." said the red headed woman known as Martha Kent.

"Oh, I can't Mrs. K." Lois said shyly.

"Why's that?" Martha asked, disappointed.

"Oh.. um, I don't know... I promised myself I would catch a show at 10, and I even bought some Bertolli's for dinner, so there's no need for me to stay."

"Lois, you're part of the family, and us Kent's always eat dinner together. Don't worry about your show, I'm sure Chloe and Clark won't mind watching it with you here at the farm."

"But-"

"Don't worry about that Bertolli's either, it'll stay in tact, hard for it to go bad since it _is _still in your freezer. Now, come on... when was the last time you had home-made blueberry pie?" she said, a large smile on her lips.

Lois grinned. She always knew her soft spot. Reality was she was dying for a warm meal, but she didn't want to be a bother.

"Okay, you got me. Where is it that you hide your black and white swirling pendant?" Lois asked.

"No hypnosis here, Lois. It's just that Kent charm." Chloe said warmly.

"Well, let's go. I'm starving!" Clark said and as if on cue, a loud growl was heard.

"Yeah, don't want Alien to pop out of Clark's belly. That would surely ruin my appetite..."

* * *

After dinner, and dessert, Clark had to tell his mother that he would be leaving with Lois in a few days.

"Mom?" Clark said, drawing random shapes in the pie crumbs that laid on his plate.

"Yeah, honey?" Martha asked who was in the kitchen, putting the rest of the pie in the oven for later.

"Um, I need to tell you something..." he said and glanced at Lois who gave him a reassuring smile.

"Oh. Okay. What is it?" she asked, having a feeling that she already knew what it was.

"See... Lois and I..." he started, but wasn't sure how to sum up all the day's events in one sentence.

Seeing her son struggle, she decided to give him a break. "I know, Clark. And I want you to know that you have my blessing and I'm very happy for you two... I was beginning to wonder why you were taking so long..." she said and gave out a small laugh.

Clark and Lois looked at each other and started laughing. "Mrs. K... Smallville and I... there's, there's-" she said speechless.

"-absolutely _nothing _going on between us." Clark said, finishing Lois' sentence.

"Oh." she said, an undertone of disappointment shining through. "What were you trying to say then?"

Chloe, attempting to sound as serious as possible, did the embarrassed non-couple a favor. "Let me see how I could sum it up for you. Basically, Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her, and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark revealed his secret, and now they have to pose as a married couple."

Now it was Mrs. Kent's turn to be speechless. "Secret, ...Marriage?"

"No, we're not getting married secretly, don't worry Mrs. K..." Lois said genuinely.

"No, I meant the words separately..." Martha said, smiling nervously.

"Oh! Secret... Yeah. He's an alien who's strong and stuff. Green rocks aren't his thing. I know it all." Lois said.

"And you don't care?" Martha asked her, surprised.

"Why would I? Sure, it's different, but sometimes being different isn't so bad..." she said shrugging her shoulders.

Martha looked at Clark, who seemed breathless. He subconsciously let out a small smile in his lost visage. Chloe eyed the older woman who reciprocated her knowing smile.

"...and the fake marriage?"

"Oh, um... her stalker is trying to find a replacement for his ex-wife. Long story short, being married could save her life."

"..or being married to _you_ could kill me." Lois answered, not being able to control her sarcasm from seeping through.

Martha continued to eye the playful pair all night. _'Clark, you've found something great... You just don't know it yet...'_

**To be continued...**

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter isn't really long, so please don't hurt me! Thank for the lovely reviews!! Let me know what you think! I'm going to post a link for another Clois video in my profile, it's called: **"Superwoman" Description - ****Even Clark Kent, the Man of Steel, needs a woman like Lois to save him from time to time... **


	5. Shift

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple that is! Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Four:**

**SHIFT**

* * *

shift:

_–verb_

1. to put (something) aside and replace it by another or others; change or exchange

* * *

Pain.

Sharp Pain.

Lois drew in a deep breath. What was that? Some unknown force seemed to somehow...crush her ribs into each other. She bit her lip fighting back tears. Her internal organs knew no where else to go. She heard a slashing noise. She panted, for it stopped briefly. She halted. There's was something else... a sound... No, a noise. She listened intently and yet again she found herself to be wrong. It was a voice.

"Ms. Lane, please suck in your stomach, this corset just wont do if you don't try." said a soft spoken voice.

_'Corset? Why would I wear a corset?'_

The pain came once again, only this time she knew of its origin. She swallowed hard hoping for another interlude to capacitate her to breathe easier.

"All done. Now, step into your dress carefully, we don't want to rip through the silk with your heel, now."

_'Dress? WHY AM I WEARING A DRESS?!'_ She fought to speak but heard no sound. _'Hello?? Can anyone hear me??' _

She felt a slight pull on the top of her head and unexpectedly lost her sight. She couldn't see a thing. All she saw was a bright light. Had she died?

"Finishing touch. Why don't you look at yourself." said the soft spoken voice. "Stunning." said another.

Against her will, Lois slowly turned around. She tried with all her strength to keep her eyes shut tightly. _'Keep 'em closed Lane. At a Girl..' _All of a sudden her time seemed to be up, her eyes were opening whether she liked it or not.

_'No. No. NO!'_

"NO!!" A sweaty Lois called out, as she hastily sat up in bed, panting heavily.

"Lois, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Lois' head snapped to her left, meeting a pair of concerned blue eyes. Clark. She swallowed hard and attempted to shake the nightmare out of her mind. She brushed her sweaty bangs to the side and gave the male before her a small smile.

"What are you doing here?" she asked dryly. Lois Lane never had the habit of letting her true feelings shine through.

"_We _are here for business." said Chloe, making her presence known. She handed Lois a glass of cool water, who in turn, greedily drank it down. Thus, feeling the color seep through her previously clammy and pale skin.

"What _kind_ of business?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

Chloe took out a Nikon camera from her tote. "Borrowed it from Jimmy. He won't mind." she said through a toothy grin.

"...And we are using a camera for _what_ exactly?"

"Fake I.D.'s." chimed in Clark, wiggling his eyebrows in phony excitement.

"Ermm... no thanks, I'll sleep in. I'll let Chloe work her questionably-legal magic, and we'll call it a day." said Lois, who secretly had no intentions to fall asleep again.

"Ah-ah-ah, not so fast..." said Chloe, while pulling back Lois' comforter from over her head. "I need pictures. I brought a camera, remember?"

"Use one of the many you plastered on the fridge. See? Problem solved!" she said enthusiastically.

"Old pictures won't do this time, Lo."

"Why the hell not?" Lois whined, her voice muffled against her fluffy pillow.

"Because I need pictures of Erin Wellance, the _chocolate-haired_ fair maiden."

Lois propped herself up on the bed with her elbows, her back facing Chloe and Clark. She turned her head around, her eyes and nose peeking from behind her pajama-clad shoulder. "Are you trying to say what I _think_ you're saying?" asked Lois who seemed to be a derivation of terrified.

Chloe simply smiled widely while dangling a silver bottle in Lois' face. The latter then retreated under her warm covers once again. All that was heard was a loud groan, and a subsequent laugh from the only testosterone-full body in the room

Lois Lane felt like a little kid getting a _very_ unpleasant haircut. She sighed. She knew she looked plain stupid, and for some reason it really irked her that Clark was there to witness it. She tried to be oblivious of his presence and distracted herself by taking meaningless quizzes in a fashion magazine, but found that doing so felt useless, and frustratingly closed the flimsy book.

"Chloe are you done yet?" impatiently questioned Lois, feeling the familiar scalp itch that she couldn't scratch.

"Almost." she said, her glove-covered hands moving forwards and backwards in brushing strokes.

Aside from getting a new identity in paper as well as plastic, Lois Lane needed one physically. Thing is, she didn't expected it to be her morning wake-up call, in her pajamas, in the middle of her apartment and with a raven-haired alien looking on, containing his laughter. She rolled her eyes for what seemed to be the 32nd time.

"How do you know how to dye hair?" asked Clark, directing his question to Chloe.

She gave him an amused look. "Being this smart, do you really think I'm a natural blond?" she asked while dipping the flat brush in the round plastic bowl filled with a foul-smelling creamy substance.

Clark simply glanced at Chloe's golden mane, confused.

"She bleaches her hair, Einstein." Lois said, irritated.

"Oh." he stated softly. He looked around the familiar gold and turquoise room, lost in thought.

"Alright, I finished. Just sit tight and I'll rise you out in a bit." Chloe said, slapping off her clingy stain-covered gloves.

"Fine. I'll be in the bathroom." she said, getting up and walking to, the flimsy plastic cape protecting her upper body swaying with its movement.

Hearing the door close shut, Clark began to giggle, attempting not to be loud enough to get caught in Lois' ear range.

Chloe turned around, facing Clark, her expression agape."Clark, don't be mean! Ironically, getting your hair done is a very embarrassing situation. One really ends up looking look a Martian, well at least how a Martian looks in today's media...", noticing that Clark was uncertain with what she was trying to prove, she continued, "Can't you tell Lois feels some-what ashamed?" Chloe asked, defending her cousin from mockery.

"Lois? Embarrassed? Right... The day that happens is the day I'll grow a second head." Clark said disbelievingly.

"Okay." Chloe said, willing to bet against Clark's statement.

Minutes passed, and still Lois was locked in the apartment's restroom. Unexpectedly, the kitchen timer went off, signaling rinsing time had arrived.

"Lois, come out, time's up." Chloe called out, grabbing old towels for drying purposes.

"Sink in the bathroom is wider. _You_ come _here_." Lois said from the other side of the sea-green door.

Chloe shot Clark a knowing glance, but the latter seemed to think nothing of it. Chloe sighed in frustration and walked over to the bathroom door.

She knocked. "Lois, it's me." Entrance was immediately granted, and just as quick as the door had opened, it closed.

"Why don't you want to come out?"

"Is that a serious question? I. Look. Re-tar-ded. I'm not stupid, I know it, and I also know that Krypton Kid over there is laughing his buns of steel off. I will _not_ tolerate being made fun of. Therefore, bring all your half-empty shampoo bottles over here." she said determined. "Please?"

"Lois, don't worry... I'll send Clark off on an errand, okay?"

Lois nodded but spoke out, "I don't mean to be whiny, but I'm just not used to be on this end of the teasing spectrum." she said softly, "...and for the record... its not _specifically_ because of Clark... I would be just the same if it were anyone else." Lois said, clearing up the non-blurry.

Chloe nodded understandingly and turned to leave. It was then that her smile grew large and she held a feeling in her gut that when the whole fake-marriage ordeal would be over, there wouldn't be enough cups of coffee in the world to chat over. Indeed, much would happen.

She walked out of the large crimson bathroom and closed the door behind her. Passing Lois' still undone bed, she saw Clark sitting on the blue couch as she approached the kitchen island. She unzipped her leather bag and handed him a piece of paper.

"What's this?" he asked looking down on the fragment of what used to be a sheet of lined paper.

"I told you I would get on this bright and early. So I did, I just need you to pick up the fake marriage license from a friend of mine at City Hall."

"Um.. Okay, sure." he said and smiled, making his way to the mirror-mounted door.

"Oh, and no super speed." she said in form of request.

A bit confused, "Um, sure. No problem." he said and smiled once more.

He opened the door to leave but was stopped short.

"Clark?"

"Yeah?" he turned around and asked.

"While you're there, start working on that second head of yours." Chloe said.

Clark looked at Chloe, and cocked his head to the side a bit confused. After realization had dawned on him, he pointed to the bathroom door and mouthed Lois' name. Chloe nodded a tad annoyed.

Feeling the negative energy in the room Clark smiled, a bit baffled himself, and turned to leave. Chloe then shut the door behind him and dusted her hands from imaginary particles.

"Job well done." she said to herself.

"Is he gone?" Lois asked, her dark plastered head sticking out from the slightly opened door.

"Yes. Now come here before you give Lex Luthor a run for his money."

The thought of going bald was enough to make Lois come to the kitchen sink faster, than well, a speeding bullet.

* * *

Clark stood in front of the large white building known as City Hall. He walked up the steps and through the front door. He glanced at the paper in his hands once more, and made his way into the hallway of many doors. He found the room number on the paper and when he reached it, knocked twice. Suddenly, the door flung open and a woman in her mid 20's briskly pulled him inside.

"Who are you?" she asked, whispering.

"Clark Kent. Chloe Sullivan told me to-" he began but the woman clasped her hand over his mouth, this causing the rest of his sentence to become muffled.

"Just _Shhh_, okay? I could lose my job over this. Our mutual friend said this was a matter of life or death, so I'm granting you with this." she said quietly and handed him a small leather binder with what he assumed was the marriage license. He reached for it but she pulled back

"Lay low, alright. Don't cause attention to yourself. Avoid anyone from checking these twice." she said and finally allowed him to grab the object of his trip.

"Thank You." he said and opened the binder and sure enough it read:

STATE OF KANSAS

**GREETING:**

YOUR ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED TO CELEBRATE THE

_**RITES OF MATRIMONY**_

_Between_

TOD WELLANCE

_and_

ERIN DURLING

Reading the paper before him, he realized that his new identity would be that of Tod Wellance, and his 'wife-to-be' would would be Erin Durling Wellance. He looked up to the ash-haired woman and nodded in approval.

"Here, _Tod, _sign for you and your 'wife'." she said knowingly and handed him the important paper that would normally grant instant marriage, but since no legal documentation was made, and more importantly since Tod and Erin didn't exist, it really didn't matter if it was Lois' real signature or not, therefore he was to sign for her. He signed _his_ name in his normal cursive style, a bit on the chicken scratch side, but for Lois- err, Erin's signature, he tried to be as neat and girly as possible. The woman looked at both the marriage license and the signed paper and nodded approvingly.

"Looks real." she said flatly, a bit of guilt in her voice.

"Look, thank you..."

"Olivia."

"Thank you, Olivia... This is very important and don't worry-"

"Don't need to excuse yourself...I know, we tend to do a lot things for people," she said studying his face and therefore seeing his determination, "especially those we love."

"-Love?"

She laughed a bit, seeing the situation at hand. "Well, Clark, Tod, whatever your name may be, Your Welcome. Now, OUT YOU GO before I get fired!" she said hissing and shooed him out of her office. He smiled and nodded thankfully and found himself once again in the carpeted hallway.

Clark slid the binder with the signed marriage document inside his jacket under his arm and walked out of the building and onto the street. True to his promise to Chloe, he got in his truck and drove back towards the Talon, no super speeding involved.

* * *

Chloe brushed Lois' now rinsed and dried locks, the heated flat iron on the table inches away. Usually, Lois would use a curling iron to style the familiar Lois waves and curls, but since the whole idea was to look nothing like herself, the flat iron was a must. She hadn't even seen the color of her hair, if anything she was dreading it. But she understood at this point in time that she had to put her desires in 2nd place, because when it came down to it, her life depended on a simple dye job.

Chloe brushed her bangs a bit to the side, revealing all of her beautiful face. She reached over to the iron and turned it off.

"There?" Lois asked, antsy.

"There." Chloe stated softly, a smile on her glossy lips.

Lois stood up and walked over to the door, where the full length mirror hung. She felt a flashback from her nightmare come to mind. She waited a few seconds and slowly opened up an eye, and then the other.

Then, she saw herself. At least, she thought it was herself. Same hazel eyes. Peculiar nose. Dark arched eyebrows. Same body type. Just not the same hair. She was going have to get used to it... It's not like she hated it, but she just didn't love it, at least not yet.

"Thanks, Chloe." was all that came from Lois.

Then both girls heard shuffling at the door, and immediately Lois ran to the bathroom, once again. There she heard Clark's distant voice.

"She's _still_ in the bathroom?" Clark said feeling guilty that he had laughed at her earlier.

"No she just went in, I already finished."

"How does it look?" Clark asked, a bit more concerned than Chloe thought he would be.

"You'll just have to see for yourself." she said grinning suggestively.

Clark began to look at the door, focusing his vision. When Chloe saw this she slapped his arm.

"NO CHEATING!"

"Fine." he said, obliging. "Lois, come out... I promise I won't laugh." he said trying to sound convincing.

"You better not if you know what's good for you!"

"I swear."

"Fine. I'm coming out. Close your eyes though." she commanded and he did as he was told.

He could hear her turning the doorknob and closing the door behind her. He then heard her footsteps as she was walking to him, resounding closer and closer, and when she no longer walked, he knew she was directly in front of him.

"You can look now." she said, her voice loud and clear.

Clark opened his eyes and immediately felt the wind get knocked out of him. Lois was... stunning. Her slick straight brown hair looked shinier than her hair ever looked. The contrast from the dark color with her skin made her look creamier in complexion. And her eyes... he really saw the vibrant green in them.

Lois saw Clark's fixed stare, and felt uncomfortable under his gaze and not to mention the deafening silence.

"Okay, I'm allowing you to break your promise. You can laugh if you want.. just say something. Silence kills me." she said, unnerved.

He coughed, realizing he hadn't blinked or breathed. "I like it." he said, that being an understatement.

Lois smiled, "Of course you like it, you see my dark hair and you see Lana."

"Trust me, I could _never_ see you as Lana." he said laughing a bit.

For reasons unknown, his comment felt like a blow in her gut. Clark noticed this.

"...I'm sorry, that came out wro-"

"No worries. If anything, I thank you... you just guaranteed me a good night's sleep." she said smiling brightly, not letting her previous feeling shine through.

"So Chloe, how about those pictures?" she said cheerfully as Clark still kept his gaze fixed on her.

"Not yet..You didn't think you were the only one getting a new look?." she said and then coughed slightly, gaining the dazed farm boy's attention.

"What, what? Repeat that?" Clark asked, not sure if Chloe was referring to him.

"Lois, hand me that tub of gel over there."

"Certainly." she said and grabbed the plastic container filled with clear green gel.

"Gel?" Clark asked confused.

Lois stuck her hand in the tub, her fingers coming out of it with the sticky substance. She inched closer to Clark's now seated frame. As she approached him he pulled his head back, glancing at the hair product and then back up at Lois.

"Don't worry Clark, just because its green doesn't mean its made with kryptonite."

He gulped.

Lois smiled sinisterly and Chloe joined her at her side with a comb.

_Splat!_

**To be continued...**

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so this chapter is kinda filler-ish, hope its bearable. Please ignore any spelling mistakes and such, I have the flu so I just kinda don't care right now... Another thing, I'm not sure how the marriage license marriage thing is, being a 15 year old girl I'm not really well-informed in that area, so just kind of ignore that as well. Can you guys guess where Tod Wellance and Erin Durling came from?

Note to Penny, your welcome, I don't mind posting this on kryptonsite dot com, just curious... are you a member there? Anyway, thank you _**all**_ SO SO SO SO much for the reviews, you guys are awesome and are my very expensive unleaded gas in my inspirational car.

Anyway, time to post another Clois fan video link on my profile. **"LOIS AND CLARK – NO AIR"/** **Description: ****A video about Clark and Lois, and how being without each other is like living in a world with No Air- impossible... **_Song by Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown_

(note: if you like comic book fan art, you can check out some of my artwork on my profile as well!)

UNTIL NEXT TIME!


	6. Spectacle

* * *

Summary: Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple that is! Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Five:**

**SPECTACLE**

* * *

spec·ta·cle** - **(spěk'tə-kəl)

_-noun_

1. A public performance or display, especially one on a lavish scale.

2. A pair of Eyeglasses

* * *

Both Lois and Chloe stepped away from Clark, finally granting him room to breathe. Lois cocked her head to the side, scrunched up her nose, and directed her gaze onto an unsatisfied Chloe.

"What?" Clark asked raising his eyebrows at the estrogen-filled pair, this act making him aware of the sticky-state of his hairline.

"I don't know... you kind of still look like yourself... right Chlo?"

"Yeah..." Chloe said a bit bummed out.

"Hmmm... oh, I know! Why don't you take out some of your left over peroxide and give Clark some funky highlights? _No way_ is anyone going to recognize him then." Lois said and shot Clark a teasing smile and eyebrow raise combo. It seemed Lois served that special all year long.

Clark's eyes threatened to pop out of his sockets and he fidgeted in his seat trying to brew up a good comeback, "...in that case, Lois could turn into Erin Durling-Wellance, the widow. I have nothing against blonds, but I don't intend to be one." Clark said, sounding as stern as possible. He didn't want to give Lois and Chloe the impression that they could alter his mindset.

"Don't worry Smallville, I don't want anyone to think I'm married to a metro-sexual... I myself have nothing against them, but they're not my type. I like my men rugged, charming, masculine, strong, , well-built, toned, virile, macho, sexy, hot-"

" - okay Lois, we get it.. you like men. Although I really wouldn't have guessed because you are _forever_-single." Clark said sarcastically.

Lois chuckled. "What Smalls' ? Does it _irk_ you that I date? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you want me all to yourself..." she said coquettishly.

Lois held a soft gaze fixed on him, anticipating his reaction. Clark simply rolled his eyes and turn his attention to Chloe, hoping the latter would begin to speak, and therefore incapacitate Lois from doing so. But instead of speaking, Chloe was in fact very much quiet. At least she _was_, before all of a sudden, it seemed something had struck her.

"Wait _right_ here! Don't move!"she said and grabbed her purse.

"Wh-what? Oh great! FINE! Not a problem, because I _totally_ enjoy Clark's presence... It's not like I can't stand him... heavens, the idea of being annoyed by Clark is inconceivable!!" Lois said, yelling after Chloe who had left the apartment. She stood in front of the aqua door and, against her will, turned around to face Clark.

"Gah!" she yelled out in the dead silence, thus, taking out her frustration. "I can't stand people who leave with _no explanation_ whatsoever. I'll never put up with that, _ever _again."

"Are you done?" Clark asked, scratching his knee nonchalantly.

"Done with what?" Lois asked confused.

"Venting, over-dramatizing, yelling, being a brat, getting on my nerves.. really, the list goes on and on." Clark said forcing a smile Lois' way.

"Smallville?" Lois asked sweetly.

"What?" he inquired, caught off guard by her tone.

Lois smiled wickedly and strode over to Clark's chair. She crouched behind him and leaned her face into his cheek, her nose softly nuzzling his skin. When it seemed she was going to plant one on his jaw, she cocked her head to the left, her mouth directly above his ear. She grinned.

-

"SHUT UP!!"

* * *

Chloe had heard Lois yelling behind her as she left the Talon's apartment, but had found herself too focused to retaliate. Instead, she made it her mission to get to her car as soon as possible. Therefore, she made a beeline down the stairs and wormed her way out of the crowded coffee shop. Once on the sidewalk, she rammed her head to remember where she had parked her car that morning. Briskly recalling, she called out, "Bingo!" She turned her head to look both ways, making sure a speeding vehicle wouldn't greet her unexpectedly. When the coast was clear, she crossed to the parallel walkway, and got in her car.

"You, baby, are my ticket to Metropolis. Lois is going to kill me for leaving her with Clark for so long. But, she's going to have to get used to it _anyway_." Chloe spoke aloud to herself, this easing the tinge of guilt she felt.

She started the car, and drove out of Smallville's main road.

* * *

_**1 HOUR LATER...**_

Lois awkwardly stretched her arms before her and loudly cracked her fingers. Clark coughed slightly and straightened out his bright red jacket. He was sitting on the couch in the universal waiting position- legs apart, elbows on knees, chin resting on balled fists. He tapped his foot and glanced to his left, where Lois was sitting on the kitchen island, her legs dangling in the air. She twisted her upper body and reached for a glass of soda behind her that she had been sipping on for the past couple of minutes.

"Are you thirsty?" Lois asked, bravely breaking the silence.

"Um, no not really. Thanks." He said and smiled tightly. He directed his gaze once again on a long stray hair that laid on the floor before him. Of course, he didn't focus too much, for he didn't want to burn a round charred stain on the floor, nor did he want to see the Talon's coffee shop below him.

"Suit yourself." she said and brought the glass higher to her face and sipped fervently on the white and pink-striped straw, making a long and loud slurping noise.

Clark shot her an annoyed glance, and Lois raised her eyebrows and slightly titled her head to the side, as if saying, 'Deal with it.' After a few more consuming seconds of silence, she sighed loudly. She set the glass next to her and gracefully hopped of the counter.

Clark had already gone back to his staring fest and therefore, was surprised to see a pair of long jean clad legs come into view. He shifted his vision upwards and saw Lois looking down on him, her hands on her hips.

"This is ridiculous." she said.

He furrowed his eyebrows at her,"What...? Waiting? You know Lois, most of today's population _happens _to wait from time to time. You might want to try jumping on that band wagon."

She glared at him. "That's not what I meant- I _meant _this freaking deafening silence. I'm not going to sit around here trying to bounce random thoughts off a big blue and red, not to mention, Plaid-obsessed, wall. So why don't you try actually speaking, you know that little thing 'today's population _happens_' to do. Seriously Smallville... why don't you.. oh, I don't know... jump on _**that**_band wagon?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll talk." he said conforming.

"Fine." she said and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Fine." he said smiling up at her forcedly.

"So..." she said pacing before him, trying to quickly think up a topic of conversation.

Clark got comfortable in his seat and was enjoying the view of all that was Lois- struggling, that is.

"So.. um... that jacket of yours is _so_... red!" she said attempting to laugh coolly (and failing).

He glanced at his jacket cutely and turned his attention to her again, smiling oh so very innocently.

"..really, any normal person would wear a red jacket with a black or white shirt, heck- even tan! Not _another_ primary color like _royal blue_..."

Clark leaned his head forward and raised his thick eyebrows at her, as if saying, 'Your Point Is?'.

"...but clearly, you're not normal. You're an alien, for crying out loud. It's not like you know any better. So, thats got to count as a "Get Out of Jail Free" card, right?" she said, continuing her rambling.

Clark crossed his well built arms against his toned chest. He smiled and slightly squinted at Lois. She was squirming... and he was enjoying it, perhaps a bit _too_ much.

She pressed her lips together and tightened her fists in the air as if grasping onto something. Her face then grew relaxed and she sighed.."Okay. I got nothing." she said and threw her hands up and then let them drop down to her sides, slapping her thighs in the process.

"Obviously." he said and snorted.

She rolled her eyes and faked him up a smile.

"So where do you think Chloe went, anyway?"

Lois stared at him at him in awe. "**You!** You had something to talk about, and you didn't even bother to help me out when I was pulling teeth back there?!" she said, yelling at him and threw an accusing finger in his face. He grew cross-eyed as he stared at her fingertip that missed his nose by a hair. He looked up at her and raised and eyebrow.

"Gee, Lois... PMS-ing much?"

"That _happens_ to be none of your business." she said and stuck her nose in the air.

"Someone got reacquainted with Mr. Grumpy this morning."

"Clark, _I _can only pull off those kind of witty comments so, don't try it."

"...Exhibit A." he said referring to that last tidbit.

"Shut up."

"Grumpy."

"NOT GRUMPY."

"Okay... grouchy."

**Glare**

"Cranky."

"_Smallville..._"

"Crabby..."

"FOR THE LAST TIME, I AM _NOT_ GRUMPY!!" Lois yelled, and then caught herself.

"You're grumpy because you want chocolate. Am I right?"

She sighed, "Oh so very much." she said and moaned in a surrendering manner and flopped down on the couch next to him.

"It's okay." he said and rested his hand on her knee, this causing an icy glare from the ironically chocolate-haired Lois.

"Right- you're grumpy.. I forgot." he said noticing her facial expression and retreated his hand awkwardly.

"Yeah, irritability." she said and let out a forced chuckle. Truth is, the hairs on the back of her neck had stood up reacting to his touch... Wait, what was she thinking?! Aside from craving chocolate, goosebumps are another symptom of Premenstrual Syndrome! She gulped. _... right?_

"Although I don't think being irritable forms part of your 'issue', it's more like.. a personality trait." he said light-heartedly.

She threw him a torn glance. His tone seemed so genuine that she didn't know if it was a compliment or a banter. She opted to believe it was the latter. "My irritability only comes out a lurkin' when I'm around you. It's just that... you bring out the best in me, Clark." she said and gave him a mock loving facial expression.

"How Sweet." he said monotonously.

* * *

"Pick up, pick up..." Chloe chanted into the receiver of her cellphone. Her head was titled to the side against her right shoulder, holding the communication device that was currently not doing much of said communication. She rhythmically tapped her fingertips on the leather steering wheel of her Yaris.

_'Hi, you've reached Jimmy Olsen. I can't get to the phone right now, so leave a message (if you can) and I'll get back 'atcha as soon as possible. Gotta motor! Bye!' _

Chloe smiled at Jimmy's 'unique' personality. It was just the right mix of cute, nerdy and sweet. Just the way the liked her hot chocolate.

_Beep!_

Oh right. "Hey Jimmy it's Chloe, um.. I kind of need your help with something, so if you could take 5 minutes out of your itinerary to call your _very_ lonely girlfriend it would be very much appreciated." she said and chuckled into the receiver. "Call Me.." She hung up the phone and placed the silver device on her lap. Hopefully the little seductive spin on her voice would get him to call her soon. Hopefully.

* * *

"Damn it. Satellite's Out. Just _had_ to be cloudy the day I get eternally stuck with you." Lois said irritated as she viciously turned off the satellite receiver box.

Lois looked over at Clark who was stifling a yawn. "Well... I think I'm going to take a nap." Clark said, straightening out his back, filling the room with a loud _crack_.

"You're going to sleep?" Lois said eying her nails, attempting to sound indifferent.

"Yep." he said and smiled at her. He stripped off his jacket and balled it, placing the latter under his head. He kicked off his boots and laid on the couch, his back facing up and his arms tucked under him, propping up his over-applied-gelled head.

'Look away, Lois..' thought the female to herself. She noticed how Clark's shirt had hiked up slightly, enough for her to see the two dimples on his lower back and the beginning of his, predictable, red plaid boxers.

She gulped and looked around, trying to find that glass of soda she was sipping on earlier. Was it her or was the 'Central Air Conditioning System' Chloe had purchased faltering on her? Because the air in the room was down-right suffocating.

After mentally slapping herself (and almost physically) for checking out- _'no Lois, you just happened to notice'_-Clark's goodies, she strode over to her bed and let her body fall back on the mattress and sighed loudly. She was frustrated and bored.

"Typical Smallville, so boring. 'I'm going to take a nap.'" she said mumbling to herself, mocking Clark's deep voice. In her frustration she managed to make Clark truly sound like a Big Dumb Alien. Who knew?

At this, Clark's head snapped up from the couch's armrest. "What?" he asked.

Lois propped herself up on the bed with her elbows, her chin against her shoulder, facing him.

"What?"she asked defensively. She racked her brain, trying to remember if she had done anything, but she was sure she didn't assault him in the last 5 seconds.

"You think I'm boring?" Clark asked, his voice not an ounce drowsy.

Surprised at the random question, Lois replied. "Well, while growing up I wasn't too fond of Sleeping Beauty. So yeah, I think napping would fall under my Uneventful Radar."

"You didn't say napping was boring. You said _I_ was boring." he said, and she swore she heard shades of hurt in there.

Lois rolled her eyes."To-may-to, To-mah-to." She shook her head, "Geez Smallville, a bit on the sensitive side today, are we now?"

He eyed her suspiciously. "I am NOT boring." He sat up on the couch. "I'll prove it to you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yes really." he said with much conviction.

"Hmph..."

He stood in the room, looking around for the object of his desire. "A-ha." he said and sped to a dusty shelf on the other side of the apartment.

Lois' heart skipped a beat when she saw Clark's tall frame on one end of the room and the next second at the other. She smiled. Was he trying to impress her?

"You could've walked you know.." Lois said projecting her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I thought walking fell under your 'Uneventful Radar'." he said, not facing her.

She scoffed. "Whatever, Smallville." Realizing he wasn't just being shy and facing his back to her, but instead, hiding something, her innate curiosity peaked. "What do you got there?" she said and whirled her figure around, so she sat Indian-style on the bed, facing his wide shoulders.

"Just wait."

"Not good at waiting." she said and stood up on the lumpy mattress. She leaned a bit forward, trying to get a glimpse of what he was hiding from her. He inched away from the bed, forcing Lois to stand on its edge.

"Come on! Just let me get a glimpse."

"Will you relax, Lois?"

"Don't tell me to relax!" she said stomping over the firm edge of the bed. She set her fists over her hips, frustrated. What was the bastard hiding from her?

"Please, Clark?" she said batting her eyelashes, hoping he would at least, super-hear them colliding in rapid motion.

He didn't answer.

"That's it, no more Mrs. Nice- _woah!_" Lois said, losing her balance. She knew what was coming next. She closed her eyes shut, expecting to hit the hardwood floors. She braced herself for the abrupt fall. It was coming any second. Instead, she felt a firm grip around her waist and under her legs. She popped open an eye. Clark.

"Have you ever heard the expression 'curiosity killed the cat' ?" he said staring at a relieved Lois.

"First time I hear it." she said smiling at him. He reluctantly smiled back at her. They stood there staring into each other's eyes, Lois tangled in Clark's strong arms. When realization dawned on them both, they tore their vision away from each other and Clark dropped Lois faster than he could say Plaid. A loud _thud_ was heard shortly after, followed by a raspy groan. Luckily they were standing around the edge of the bed, so Lois was able to grab onto the mattress to break her fall- somewhat. Sprawled on the floor with her back facing him, she looked up at Clark from the corner of her eye, her bangs brushing against her long lashes.

"What's the point in catching me if you're going to drop me right after?" She said and slowly got up, feeling a bruise forming on her tush.

"Sorry." he said and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, coating his fingers with green gunk.

She sighed and dusted her pants off, seeing as it was well over a week since she, err- Chloe had sweeped.

He eyed the remaining gray particles that clung around her thighs. He furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Do you _own_ a broom?" he asked, hoping not to get slapped, since he, in fact, _did_drop the stubborn woman in front of him not too long ago.

"What's it to you?" she said raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing." he said, his suspicious confirmed.

"Pfft. I doubt you've ever even _held_ one."

"You'd be surprised." he said and thus felt memories of his freshman year flooding in.

"Yeah, whatever. Any who, what's the big mystery you've got in your pants?" Lois said eying his jeans.

Clark's eyes widened and he subconsciously glanced at his crotch area, turning red.

"Ew Clark, I meant in your pocket. You're so gross." she exclaimed disbelievingly and shook her head, fighting the words Junior, Clark, Corn and Amnesia from entering her mind (In that same order). Much to her dismay, she failed.

He coughed, and apologetically glanced at her. He dug in his right pocket and fished out something square.

"Well?" she asked expectantly.

He smiled widely and proudly held out.. a deck of cards.

"Cards?" she asked, an expression similar to one she sported when getting drunk in her short college years.

"Yeah..?" he asked, wondering why she was surprised.

"I should've known." she said shaking her head, letting out a snort.

"Known what?"

"That playing 'Go Fish' is your idea of fun."

"Well it's better than sleeping..." He said defensively and darted his eyes away from Lois, his vision drifting off to the over flooded hamper. Feeling a gaze fixed on him, he glanced at Lois once again. Reading the emotion in her eyes he felt his blood run cold.

"I know that look." he said, uneasily.

"What look?" she asked, her voice an octave higher combined with an ounce far too sweet.

"What do you want?" he said, backing away from her.

She smiled so large Clark felt he was going to fall back on the bed behind him. She grabbed his arm and brushed her fingertips against his wrist and over his palm, giving him chills. She dug her nails under his knuckles, smiling forcedly as she was trying to peel Clark's fingers away from the deck.

"No."

"Yes."

"NO."

"YES!!"

"I SAID NO, LOIS!"

"WELL I SAY YOU'RE PLAYING, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT, OR NOT!!"

* * *

Jimmy Olsen paced in the Daily Planet's basement. He was waiting for the scanner before him to do its job, but clearly the prehistoric piece of junk was jammed.

"Just great. I got the perfect shot, got it revealed, and now I can't make copies." thought aloud the cinnamon-mixed messy-haired blond. As he continued in his mental frustration, he hadn't noticed the pulse in his right pocket.

"Olsen!" yelled the big man editor (at least that's how he had dubbed him) from across the floor.

"Going chief!" responded Jimmy, as he exited the small room, not before cursing under his breath at the machine he left behind.

* * *

"Clark! It's not like we're going to strip down to our birthday suits, although its not like we haven't, ahem, 'witnessed' each other." Lois said, trying her best to be persuasive.

"Oh really? Then why is it called 'Strip Poker', if we're not going to strip?!"

"But, we will!" she said, as if giving him the answer to all his problems.

Clark simply groaned and threw his hands over his face.

"What?" Lois asked confused. "Oh." She sighed, realizing the situation at hand.

She walked over to him,"Look." she said, attempting to gain his attention. "I said, Look." Lois commanded frustratingly and outstretched her arm before her, maneuvering Clark's face so it was perfectly aligned with hers. He glanced down at her grip and Lois bared her teeth at him, clasping her hands together once they left his face.

"I am bored out of my mind, therefore, resorting to the furthest thing I would ever agree to. _So_, rules of the game are.." she said, straightening her posture and clearing her throat. "We go around the room, piling on as much articles of clothing as we can in the time span of 30 seconds. Afterwards, we play strip poker. Whoever ends up in their underwear first, loses."

"But I'm only wearing boxers and you're wearing a bra and underwear." Clark said, his eyebrows furrowing.

"No, Duh." Lois said, her voice slow and deep. "I'll make sure to wear an article less than you, so the quota is fair."

"I don't know about this Lois..." he said shaking his head.

"Clark! You've seen me in a stars and stripes stripper get-up, red and black bathing suit, not to mention you X-Rayed through me yesterday, so it's not like you don't know what to expect. As for me, I've seen you in baby blue swimming trunks, dripping wet with nothing but a towel around your waist, and let's not even get into the Cornfield Incident." she said her eyes widening. She snickered at that last bit. _'Good Times.'_

"Lois-"

"Clark," she said, holding up a hand at him. "I can handle it." She eyed him closely, "Question is... can _you_?"

He looked at her disbelievingly. "Of course I can." he said and gulped. The first time he had a close up, half-naked Lois encounter, it didn't go too smooth. He was in dire need of redeeming himself.

"Then its settled." she said and smiled slyly. "Super Shuffle those cards for me... Smallville."

* * *

Chloe sighed as she turned off the ignition. She was parked in Jimmy's apartment complex, but his car was nowhere in sight. He hadn't come home from work yet, it seemed. She made a mental note to ask for his apartment's set of keys (they hadn't reached that level of their relationship yet).

"Darn it, Jimmy.. Come home, already." she said to no one in particular. She eyed her phone's home screen. Nothing. She rolled down the windows and crossed her legs over, her feet exposed to the city outside. It was going to be a while.

"I wonder what Lois and Clark are up to..." the blond thought aloud.

Whatever the possibilities her investigative journalist mind had cooked up, it wouldn't come close.

* * *

"Chloe's blue jacket I'm wearing" Lois said, never tearing her vision from her cards. Lois has already gotten rid of her sneakers, socks and was down to her jeans, a jacket, her shirt, and if she'd lose the latter, she'd also lose the game. But she wasn't worried. Clark had it worst, though. Deep down inside, she felt bad that she was taking advantage of a newbie poker player. She was sure she'd find a way to forgive herself later, in the meantime, she was enjoying herself far too much to care.

Clark had gotten rid of his boots, socks, jackets and his blue shirt. He was down to his jeans and that was it. She had a feeling he wasn't going to get to see her in her panties after all. Reason to rejoice, right?

"Come on Clarkie, show me watcha got." she said wiggling her eyebrows at him, and once again found her eyes travel south. She bit her lip. Smallville could be a boy scout and all, but she had to give it to him... that alien had one smokin' body.

She forced her eyes back up to find his face, looking somewhat unsure. She smiled to herself. "I raise you my jeans as well." she said confidently. His eyes darted to her face and back down to his cards. She was sure she was going to win. She was beginning to wonder what they would play afterwards when Clark broke her train of thought.

"Royal Flush." he said and laid down the cards on the comforter. She sat there, her mouth hanging open. She blinked a couple of times. And shook her head.

Noticing Lois' look he started, "Lois, I'm sorry I-"

" -Don't Be. It's part of the game." she said and stood up, the mattress under screeching. Letting out an incredulous chuckle, she shook off Chloe's jacket. She threw the latter over her shoulder, not caring where it landed. She started mumbling while unbuckling her thick white belt, and slid the leather material out of the many belt loops, letting it fall. Her hands then glided over her hips and rested her fingers just below her belly button, unbuttoning her jeans. Clark swallowed and tried to focus his attention elsewhere. He was supposed to be a good boy and not see the nakedness of his friend. He turned to look- He failed. As Lois began unzipping her pants slowly, she heard Clark take in a sharp breath. She rolled her eyes.

"Stop panting like a dog. We agreed not to name Shelby after you for a reason, remember?" Lois said, irritated. She still couldn't believe Clark had gotten her so ahead of the game.

He nodded quietly, not paying attention. She sighed and slowly slid the starchy material down her tanned slender legs. It was then that Clark caught sight of Lois's tight, low rise, lacy black underwear. He too was feeling the effects of the ''broken'' Central Air Conditioning System. He made a mental note to take a look at it later. When the dark washed article of clothing idly lay around her ankles, she kicked them off, landing in a dusty heap elsewhere. As he watched her, he took in the sight of her cute, firm rear that now faced him. He smiled nervously and raised an eyebrow, surrendering. He was beginning to like this game.

* * *

"Olsen, I want those photos by the end of the week, you got that?" said the man in his early thirties, raising a threatening eyebrow.

"Yes, Sir." he answered humbly, staring at the floor below him.

"That's what I want to hear. Now, go home." said the Editor, waving his hand in a dismissing manner.

"You've got it, Sir." he said and turned to leave. When he finally walked out the door, he sighed relieved. Thank god that was over with.

He shook his head and walked over to his desk, picking up his belongings. He hung his camera around his neck and began to make his way back to the copying room. Just before entering his took notice of the red elevator doors on the other side of the floor. He shrugged his shoulders, not knowing why he had turned to look.

* * *

Chloe sighed as she saw the empty afternoon sky frown down to her. "One more time." Chloe said, shutting her eyes, hoping to reach her boyfriend. She pressed the number combination in and waited.

* * *

Jimmy walked to the parking lot, feeling the day very well threaten to turn into night soon. Reaching his car door, he dug his hand in his pocket, searching for his keys. Instead, he felt a vibration. He fished out his phone and looked at the screen. _My Girl._

"Hello?"

"Thank God I've reached you!" Chloe cried happily from the other end of the receiver.

"Hey babe! What's going on?"

"I need your help." Chloe said, her voice taking a serious tone.

"Okay sure. What for?"

"Meet me at your apartment."

He smiled slyly. "Okay, I'll _'help'_ you."

"No, Jimmy, I really _do_ need your help."

"Oh." he said, a bit disappointed.

"Don't worry, I'll ask for that sort of _'assistance'_ later, but for now, come see me. I'll be waiting in the lobby."

"Okay. See ya in a bit." he said and shut his phone closed.

_'I Wonder what Chloe wants.'  
_

* * *

_...Okay_ so the A/C wasn't broken _after all... _

Lois brought her bare knees up to her chin. Her bottom lip trembled cutely as she rubbed her hands over her thighs.

"You Cold?" Clark asked, his gentle eyes gazing at her.

"I'm." _..._ "Fine." she said through chattering teeth.

"Doesn't seem that way to me..." he said and stood up, getting ready to walk to the couch to retrieve his jacket.

"Hey! Sit your Ass-ertive Butt down." Lois commanded.

"-But"

"No Buts, just _yours_ making contact with your seat." she said pointing to the empty spot on the bed across from her.

"Stubborn." he mumbled while sitting again.

"What was that Smallville?" she asked, trying to put on her poker face.

"Oh... um, nothing." he said smiling widely.

* * *

"Jimmy!" Chloe said as she ran up to him and hugged him.

"Woah! Blond babs..." he said into her hair.

"I've been waiting like crazy for you!" she told him. "Come on." she said, leading him to the elevator.

"Um, okay."

They stepped inside and Chloe pressed the button that led to his floor. As the doors closed, he turned to face her. "So what is it you need me for?"

She broke out a nervous smile. "Do you know that costume you wore to that party we went to?"

"You mean the one where you dressed up as a sexy nurse-"

"-and you went as a doctor?" she said, finishing his sentence. She looked down to her feet.

"Yeah? How can I forget?"

"Yeah, well.. I kind of need it."

"Need it?!"

"Part of it, at least."

"No."

"Jimmy, please?"

He looked at her hurt. "I... I... love that costume."

The doors opened and they stepped out to the carpeted hallway. She sighed and turned to him.

"I guess I'll have to start from the beginning." she said in a surrendering tone. "...Lois. And. Clark."

* * *

Clark lazily stretched out on the bed, laying horizontally whilst facing Lois. He propped his head up with his arm and stared at her.

"What?" she asked, a feeling of insecurity surge through her.

"Nothing." he said, his gaze still fixed on her.

She pulled the hem of her shirt down, trying her best to cover her bare midriff. "Whatever." she said, focusing on the game.

"My Jeans." he said eying her.

"My shirt." she declared, staring at her cards- ...staring at anything, but him.

* * *

"So, the gel wasn't enough." Chloe said, finishing her long explanation.

He absentmindedly nodded. "Well, in that case, if Lois' life is on the line, I'll let you borrow the costume. ...But is Clark going to be Tod the doctor?" he said, opening his closet.

"Not quite. I actually just need the glasses..."

"CK in glasses?" Jimmy asked. _'That's like hot fudge and halibut.' _

"Weird, I know."

"You know Chloe... Clark and Lois could move in here." he said, liking the idea.

"Oh really?" she asked, amused.

"Yeah... I could move in with you at the Talon... always at your disposition to _'help'_." he said, grinning uncontrollably.

"You know Jimmy, that idea isn't half-bad." she said and nodded. _'Not bad at all...'_

* * *

"I can't believe this." she said shaking her head.

"Well, believe it."

"I refuse."

"Lois, rules are rules. Take off your shirt and lose it- err.. I mean lose, already..."

She glared at him. She stared at his cards and back at hers.

"There's no way you won me." she said folding her arms in front of her.

"Lois.. just face it already." _'Or face me in your bra'_

She sighed. He was going to pay.

* * *

Chloe eyed the pair of black angular glasses she held in her hands. She threw a glance at Jimmy who sat behind the steering wheel.

"How much longer 'til we get there?" she asked

"Few minutes."

"Good, because I have a feeling that those two are going to kill each other."

"Imagine how it'll be when they live together." he voiced and chuckled.

"I should start making funeral arrangements." she said and raised her eyebrows.

"Something tells me you should."

* * *

_She sighed. He was going to pay._

"FINE." she said and gritted her teeth. She sat up straight on the bed and crossed her arms before her, her fingers catching the bottom hem on each side of her shirt. She arched her back and slowly lifted her blouse up and away from her tanned torso. She threw her head back, facilitating the cloth from clinging away from her. Clark held a breath. His mind could not- _would not_, compute. Lois. Lois. Lois. Lois. Lois.

He coughed, not being able to breathe. Lois held her shirt in one hand and let it fall on the floor beside her. Her dark mane resided messily over her shoulders. His eyes traveled from her face to her neck, down to her collarbone and shoulders and finally... her full, lacy-clad chest.

He gulped.

"What is it, Clark? Have you never eyed a Victoria's Secret catalog?"

He shook his head side to side violently.

She eyed him carefully and glanced at the cards on the bed.

"Oh. My. God." she said, her eyes blazing on fire.

"What?"

"YOU CHEATED!!"

"Huh?"

"YOU CHEATED!"

"Wha- I DID NO SUCH THING!"

"Yea-huh"

"Nu-uh"

"YES."

"NO!"

"You X-Rayed my cards!" she said and slapped him upside the head.

"Hey! That was uncalled for."

"YOU HAVE SOME NERVE!" she said and lunged at him.

"Lois, I swear, I wouldn't cheat."

"You're guilty!" she said, practically choking him. Her dark brown hair hung loosely, brushing against either side of his jaw.

"Lois!"

"SHUT UP YOU CHEATER!!" she yelled at him slapping his cheek, her bare thighs towering next to his toned chest.

He swallowed. "Lois."

"What?"

"Get off me."

"Huh?"

"Like.. _Now_."

A shuffling was heard at the door, and in walked Jimmy and Chloe taking in the scene of a half naked Lois in lacy black underwear straddling a shirtless Clark on the bed.

"This is certainly not how I'd picture this." Chloe mumbled to herself, scratching her blond mane.

Jimmy's camera produced a bright flash, steering the pair's attention to the new arrival. Lois chuckled nervously and then at that moment, turned back to Clark, directing her vision directly below her.

"Ew, CLARK!!"

"I _told_ you to get off me!" he protested defensively.

Lois hopped off him and turn to her cousin. "This is NOT what it seems."

Jimmy turned to Clark, waiting for his explanation.

"I, uh..." he said and power walked to the couch, grabbing his jacket. "... need to do some maintenance work on that Central Air Conditioning System." he said covering himself with his jacket. And with that he stormed of the room.

**_To be continued..._**

AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO sorry for the long wait! **Hides** I've just been looking for a job and caught up in life's demands. I want to take this time and apologize for my poor explanation on the whole Simon thing. It sucked. Hope you guys will forgive and keep reading anyway. Btw, I've posted on my profile a link to a poster for this fic made by Paloma at Divine Intervention (my user name is Blazel on there so it says Blazel instead of Chinita92- which is such an old user name, its so not me anymore. -shrug- oh well...) Hope you guys enjoyed this risque chapter. whineI've been trying to do my best in writing this story well, I don't want to disappoint any of you (I seriously need to stop reading other fics, makes me so unsatisfied with my own writing). whine/ LOL. Have a great week guys!

* * *


	7. Clarify

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple that is! Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Six:**

**CLARIFY**

* * *

clarify - klar-_uh_-fahy

_–verb (used with object)  
_

1. to make (an idea, statement, etc.) clear or intelligible; to free from ambiguity.

* * *

_Lois hopped off him and turn to her cousin. "This is NOT what it seems."_

_Jimmy turned to Clark, waiting for his explanation._

"I, uh..." he said and power walked to the couch, grabbing his jacket. "... need to do some maintenance work on that Central Air Conditioning System." he said covering himself with his jacket. And with that, he stormed out of the room.

Clark turned the corner of the Talon's narrow hallway. He eyed his left, making sure he wasn't within spotting distance from the coffee shop that was established just after the staircase.

He sighed and breathed in and out, his sweaty chest heaving up and down. And then it hit him like a slap in the face... _Lois Lane had just turned him on. _

**

* * *

**

Chloe covered Jimmy's eyes as Lois pranced about in the room, trying to find her clothes.

"So excited you couldn't throw it all in one place?" Chloe let out and snickered.

Lois looked at her, an incredulous look forming on her flushed face. " 'Cous, I already endured the uncomfortable explanation that hot stuff out there dumped me with. I swear- IT WAS JUST A GAME!!" Lois yelled out, her eyes pleading for Chloe to believe her, once and for all. Of course, her wise cousin knew there had to be a reasonable explanation as to why she had jumped on Clark (she hoped to god, at least), but she was really just busting her older cousin's chops.

"Riiiight... and_ that_ explains why Clark's jeans fit him a lot more snug now than they did before."

She flung her hand to her mouth, practically gagging.. "Oh god, don't go there again. It was enough witnessing it, no need to make me re-live it." Truth is, she _had_ jumped on him, but he didn't have to _react... _This was Clark they were talking about!

"Well you didn't look _that_ sick to your stomach when I walked in." Chloe said smartly. "In fact, all I _saw _was your stomach. Wait, make that 2 stomachs!" she said, holding out her index and middle finger proudly. Lois glared daggers at her while squeezing into her low rise denim jeans.

"Can I look now?" bravely protested a blinded Jimmy.

"NO!!" the cousins replied in unison at the curious photographer. Lois swore he mumbled another complain under his breath. He was lucky she was preoccupied at the moment, for really all she wanted was to choke him with that musty camera strap.

Lois then turned her attention to Chloe. She stormed over to her and pulled her shirt out from under her heel. She viciously threw it over her head, her arms wiggling their way out of the tangle that had formed inside. She pulled her hair out from her shirt collar while walking over to her nightstand..

"You can now give the gift of eyesight to your **perverted** boyfriend." Lois said over her shoulder and shortly after began snaking on her socks while sitting at the edge of the cursed bed.

"Hey! Look who's talking!" Jimmy squawked in his defense.

"You know what, you're right. I _AM_ talking. Now it's both of your turns. First question is directed to my baby cousin," she said, raising a curious eyebrow. "Where did you run off to?" Lois asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She was dying to know why she had deserted Clark an herself at the apartment. Now that she thought about, if Chloe had stayed, none of the recent events would've happened.

"I went to find Jimmy.."

She lifted her eyebrows questionably higher than usual. "Oh _really_? How interesting... You run off to fool around and leave me with a hormone-raging farm boy!" Lois said, heatedly.

"Hey! I had good intentions!" Chloe said and dug in her pant pocket. She walked over to Lois and roughly placed a pair of black, thick-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose.

Lois blinked, perplexed. "First off, _Ow!_ Second: Glasses? Isn't my hair and lack of exuberant make-up enough?"

Chloe opened her mouth to speak when Clark walked back in, his red jacket on. It looked very weird... the infamous red jacket with no vibrant blue under. Then again, Clark never wore a simple jacket over a bare chest.

Lois was still looking around, trying out the glasses, when he stormed in. Her peripheral vision detected movement, causing her vision to shift onto what could've been a model on the cover of a romance novel about a passionate farmer and a lonely Tabloid reporter.

Just when Clark thought Lois couldn't have gotten any sexier (_mental slap)_ he had walked in on her, mind you, fully clothed, wearing a pair of black glasses. Of course, he could not let her in on that tiny piece of information...

"Glasses?" he said to her and began to fake a fit of chuckles.

Lois glared at him behind the black frame, this only making her look cuter- err, that wasn't right.. Sexier! No that wasn't it either. Prettier? Gah. He gave up.

"Actually, Clark..." Chloe said, strolling to her big cousin, removing the eye wear from Lois' face, this time in a gingerly manner. "They're for you."

Clark and Lois looked at each other, a grin playing on the females lips; a smile vanishing off his. "Ha! Now you're _officially_ the nerd I knew you to be!" Lois teased Clark while pointing a finger his way. She grabbed the glasses out of Chloe's grasp and skipped towards Clark, and when reaching him, slid them over his ears. She gave him an evil grin and backed away. Her smile faltered. Damn. He looked hot. Definitely _not_ what she was expecting. He arched a thick dark eyebrow, peeking above the rim of his lenses, his sapphire eyes catching the light against the darkened frame. A gorgeous contrast. She gulped.

"That bad?" he asked, feeling a tad, okay.. a _good _amount of insecurity. He paced over to the mirror that hung on the entryway. He ran his fingertips over the surface of his hair, smoothing out the dishevelment Lois had inflicted upon him from before. He turned around, and pushed his glasses further up, facing the threesome before him.

"I look like an idiot." he stated dryly.

_'No you don't...' _Lois thought and began to violently cough. She regained her composure after thinking such horrid things. "...At least you don't look like a _familiar_ idiot.." she said trying to lift, no scratch that.. she very well had every intention of crushing his spirits. Why? She had no friggin' clue.

"Gee, thanks Lois. I knew I could count on you to make me feel better." he said in a humdrum tone.

"Anytime Smallville, well.. except weekends- too busy to care." she said shrugging her shoulders exaggeratedly. She realized that came out a bit harsh. Oh well.

"Well CK, _I _think you look nothing like yourself, which is the point, right? Seriously! You could pop those on and go on with your life, pretending to be someone else and no one would put two and two together!" Jimmy expressed lightheartedly.

"You really think a simple pair of _glasses_ can do something like that?" Clark asked incredulous.

"I do." Lois said, catching everyone off guard. "If you keep up your little quiet insecure act, I'd buy it." she said honestly.

"Then it's settled." Chloe said happily. "Your physical identities are officially established." she chirped while walking to her bag and when reaching it, took out Jimmy's camera.

"So that's where it went..." Jimmy said, referring as to why he had to take his older camera to work that morning. She laughed nervously and stood in front of Clark and Lois, her back facing her boyfriend.

"Speaking of cameras..." Lois said, her voice trailing off. "I want that picture you took in my hands by the end of the day so I can burn it. Clark here will help assist me with the process." She said, speaking of the priceless snapshot Jimmy took when walking in the apartment, after finding Clark and Lois in a compromising position. Clark's eyes bulged out so much, they threatened to crash into his lens. How could she insinuate his heat vision in front of Jimmy?

"...you know, with holding the fire-resistant garbage can part." Lois said, reading his emotions. At his doubt, she nudged his ribs, but instead of conflicting him pain, the act only caused her some. She glared at him. Damned ribcage of steel.

"Okay. No prob." Jimmy said nervously, and gave them a thumbs up. He made a mental note to give it to Clark instead of Lois, because she would surely bite his head off. He shuddered.

_'Scary Woman.' _

* * *

Lois rubbed her eyes viciously. "I do _not _remember that flash being this annoying in the alley that night."

"What night?" Chloe asked, prying her heart out.

"Babe, the night she macked on Green Arrow!" he said while inspecting the pair's mug shots on his MacBook. He had bought that Chloe forgot that night and sincerely wanted to help her remember. _Silly Jimmy._

Clark stiffened. He hated when this topic came up.

"Oh yes. I remember that night so well. How can I possibly forget?" Lois said dryly. "I dream about that damned Jolly Green Giant in my sleep!" she said, not too pleased that an enigma could toy with her subconscious with just one_- freaking heavenly -_kiss.

"Clark, how do you feel about your wife dreaming with _another_ man?" Chloe asked mischievously. Seriously- At that moment, Chloe's name should've officially changed to Cheshire. A random thought of Chloe covered in pink and purple stripes smiling inhumanly large popped in his head. Creepy.

He coughed, abruptly changing the topic, this not going unnoticed by a certain Lane. "How are those pictures coming, Jimmy?" he said, standing over James' shoulder.

"Great! ..But they've got _nothing_ on Arrois." he said, rather geeky.

"_Arouse_?" Clark asked, confused.

"Clark. You did _not_ just go there." Lois stated while holding up a hand, rather mortified.

"Not _arouse_, but Arrois... its the shipper name for Green Arrow and Lois." Jimmy said easily. Would that night as the Green Arrow haunt him forever? He sighed. It certainly felt like it.

He shook those thoughts away. "Shipper?" Clark asked. He wasn't getting with the program.

"Couple, Ship, Pair. Same thing." he said, tearing his vision from the LCD Screen in front of him to shoot a reassuring look at Clark. He in turn, answered with a lost one.

He sighed. "For example. You and Lois would be..." he stopped to ponder. ".._Clois!_"

Lois snorted. "Jimmy, first off Clark and I are_ not_ a couple, pair, item- whatever! Secondly, even if hell froze over and we _were _a boat- "

"-Ship." Jimmy corrected, a lonesome finger in the air.

"_-whatever._.. that name sounds so cheesy no one would follow and repeat it." she said dryly. He rolled his eyes at her for bursting his bubble- he was quite proud of his name-giving Shipper skillz. _'Rolls off the tongue...'_

"And you and I would be..?" Chloe asked her man whilst fingering through his short curly hair.

"Um.." he said, swallowing hard. "Heh.. um, Chimmy, I guess."

"Not bad." she said and winked at him.

He laughed giddily. He was dying to _''help''_ Chloe. He turned to Lois and Clark... _'here goes nothing.'_

"YOU GUYS ARE MOVING IN MY APARTMENT TOMORROW MORNING!!" he yelled out excitedly out of nowhere.

"SAY WHAT?!"

_**To be continued...**_

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: **Sorry this is like SUPER (not that good kind) short. But I wanted to get this out of the way. Next chapter we'll see Clois (WHAT'RE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT LOIS!?) moving in the apartment and such. I have great things planned. -rubs hands together evily-. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!! cough. DUDES! I love you guys so much! -wipes away tear- thank you again for all the feedback you guys have given. YOU ARE _THEE_ BEST!

* * *


	8. Ring

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple that is! Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Seven:**

**RING**

* * *

ring:

_-noun_

1. a typically circular band of metal or other durable material, esp. one of gold or other precious metal, often set with gems, for wearing on the finger as an ornament, a token of betrothal or marriage, etc.

* * *

"Well this sucks." Lois said, letting her jaw fall on her balled fist. "I feel like I'm being forced into an arranged marriage with Nick Nolte." she spoke aloud, shuddering at the mental image of large yellow teeth and crazy hair. "-and I don't mean in his brawny years."

Clark used his newly found ability- The Super Sigh, always Lois Lane induced, of course. "God help me.. It's not in me to kill-"

"Hey! Speak for yourself..." Lois said, pointing at her vibrant **green** shirt. He rolled his eyes at her.

"-but I might make an exception with _this one_." he said, facing the heavens above him. '_Patience is a virtue, Patience is a virtue'_, he thought, repeating the mantra in his mind.

"You guys. It's not that bad. It'll just be for a while. Maybe this way you'll stop fighting all the time!" Chloe said, her hands on her hips, her eyes gesturing for Lois to keep packing.

The chestnut brunette grumbled something under her breath and shoved a shirt in her empty suitcase that laid on the bed., she eyed her blond cousin. _'Happy?'_ she mouthed.

"Well, I have to go pack too." Clark said, digging in his pocket for his keys.

"Ughhh... pack _what?!_" Lois said, raising a dark, arched eyebrow.

He looked at her with a funny expression on his face. "Lois, I always knew you had some loose screws, but seeing in the situation you're in..." he said, averting his gaze onto her suitcase behind her. "... I'm not too sure now if you even _own_ screws in the upstairs department." he said, cutely patting her head, to which she responded by swatting his hand away.

"Well _excuse me_ Mr. Home Depot, but in case you haven't noticed.. the whole point of moving into Jimmy's apartment is to get away from here and to not be recognized, so I suggest that if you're going to go pack at the farm, you must avoid your plaid, red and blue wardrobe like a plague- which shouldn't be so hard if you would just _realize_ how much truth there is in that simile." she said folding her arms, and squinting her eyes, as if challenging him.

He sighed.

"Someone just admitted defeat..." Lois said, once again drawing her attention onto her packing parade.

"She always has to have the last word! And I didn't even say anything!" Clark complained to a quiet Jimmy who had just walked through the door, his mouth conspicuously full of blueberry muffin.

"Has Woohen." said Jimmy with a shrug.

Clark simply shook his head. "Fine. I think I have some other clothes at home. _I'll be back_." Clark said and walked out, closing the door behind him. Once alone, he Super-Sped home.

"I think Smallville has an Arnold Schwarzenegger complex." Lois said, grinning widely.

* * *

"So soon?" Martha asked while sitting on the blue-clad bed. She eyed her son as he rummaged through his closet, avoiding anything red blue and/or yellow.

"Yeah."

"Are-"

"-I swear! I do this for her and she doesn't even appreciate it! She has _some_ nerve!" Clark vented, his voice slightly muffled as he crouched down, searching in cardboard boxes that resided on the floor of his closet.

Seeing her son's frustration she decided to give him some words of encouragement."Oh honey. You know Lois. She has good feelings... she just doesn't know how to project them. Teasing and picking is her language. By saying 'I want to kill you with kryptonite', she's saying that 'I'm glad you're nearly indestructible and that you're protecting me.' "

"I wouldn't go that far now." he said, holding up an olive green shirt paired with a lop-sided grin.

The redhead simply nodded in approval. "Clark, women are complicated as it is, Lois is no exception-"

"-trust me, I know." Clark interjected.

"Yeah well, sometimes it's more interesting piecing together a picture that's been parted in puzzle pieces, than simply eying a photograph." she said, letting her words sink in.

Clark shot his mother a look. "Mom, I don't plan taking on jigsaw puzzles as a new pastime." he said, raising an eyebrow. He very well understood his mom's weaved words.

"I was just saying..." she said in her defense. "You know.. your father and I didn't like each other very much when we first met-" she started, but reading her son's negative expression she stopped and smiled. "As you wish." she said and stood up from the bed. She reached her soon and gave him a kiss on the cheek, followed by a hug.

"Even though you're not _really_ getting married... you're going to need a wedding ring to pull of your little charade." she said, giving him a pointed look.

"I hadn't thought about that..." he said, eying the floor beneath his feet.

"I think I could assist you with that." she said, smiling brightly.

* * *

"Clothes you never wear: Sub-category- Shirts."

"Check."

"Clothes you never wear: Sub-category- Pants."

"Check."

"Clothes you never wear: Sub-category- Shoes."

"Check." _Yawn._

"Clothes you never wear: Sub-category-"

"Okay! I get it! Every item of clothing that I hate and _never wear_ is in the damned suitcase!" Lois shot out, holding her throbbing head. Changing Lois' hair color was one thing, but she couldn't wear the same clothes she sported about in Smallville- it would just defeat the purpose. Thus, Chloe had come up with a checklist.

"Good." Chloe replied, waltzing over to check for herself. She gasped. "Is that that sweater I gave you for Christmas?!" Chloe said, holding up a gray cashmere top.

"Um..."

"It still has the tag on it!" Chloe cried out, eying the 3-digit number. She turned to the female before her, tapping her foot. "Well?" she said, waiting for a convincing explanation.

Lois laughed nervously. Crap- she was caught._ 'Think fast, think fast... '_

"Look, it's a bird!" she said, pointing to the window. Chloe turned around, a split second later she realized Lois' childish diversion.

"What? I don't see anything..." Jimmy said, his face pressed against the window, his hands cupping around his eyes, as if holding imaginary binoculars.

Chloe ignored Jimmy and squinted at a guilty Lois before her. She stuck her nose in the air."Well fine, have it your way." Chloe said, a small pout forming on her pink lips. She solemnly dropped the sweater inside Lois' luggage. "At least it consoles me that you'll wear it now- even if it _is_ in a forced manner."

"Chlo! It's not personal... I just. It's just." she stopped and let her head hang.

Chloe glared but found she couldn't help a smile from forming. "You _know..._ your guilt heals the monetary wound that's still very fresh from December." she said sitting next to Lois. She bumped her shoulder against hers.

"So, are you mad at me?" cautiously asked Lois. She winced, not wanting to hear the answer.

"Oh Lo... I can't stay mad at you for long."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Lois asked, intrigued.

"Because if I do, then who's going to drop-kick all the evil henchmen we meet along the way?"

Lois stopped to ponder on those words. "So true."

Chloe smiled and squeezed Lois' hand. Subconsciously eying it, her eyes widened.

"Houston... we have a problem."

* * *

"Dad's wedding band?" Clark called out, disbelievingly.

Martha nodded.

"Mom- I- I- I can't!" he said, softly shoving his mother's hand away.

"Clark, I really don't mind." she said, all honesty on the table.

"But-"

Martha rolled her eyes. "If you don't take it, I'll be forced to take out the lead box that's still sitting in the barn's tool box and slip this ring on your left hand against your will."

He eyed his mom wearingly.

She sighed. "Clark, He would've wanted you to have it. He loved Lois like another daughter, and would've given you his blessing on this."

He grinned. "Mom, you're making it sound like I'm _actually_ marrying Lois." he said and chuckled.

She caught herself. "I am, aren't I?" She looked up to meet his gaze, "I guess it just comes naturally." she said while shrugging. She took hold of his arm and grabbed his wrist, uncurling his fingers. She smiled as she laid the shiny ring in the center of his palm, and finally closed his hands into a ball again.

"Thanks mom." he said softly and smiled at her.

"Anytime- and I mean it. _Whenever_ you get married, _**Whoever**_ you get married to- it's always at your disposition."

"That is- if I find that I am, after all, not destined to be alone." he said a bit sadly.

"Something tells me you're not." his wise mother said whilst gazing at his packed bags on his bed.

Clark hugged his mother farewell. "I'll miss you, mom."

"I'll miss you too." she said against his shirt. Clark walked out of his room and made his way down the steps.

"Good Luck, son. And don't worry about the farm, Ben will take care of it." she said at the top of the stairs. He stopped for another second and nodded. He walked through the familiar kitchen and reached the screen door, screeching as he opened it.

Once out on the gravel driveway, Shelby came running up to him. He set his bags down next to him, crouching down to meet his beloved dog.

He scratched his long, golden fur. "Look what I got buddy." he said, taking out the ring from his pocket, holding it up for him to see. Shelby simply barked.

"I know- Déjà Vu, huh?"

* * *

"Lois, you need a ring, _pronto!_" Chloe said as she paced before an unaffected Lois.

"And the nightmare continues." Lois thought aloud as she let her body fall back on her bed. When would it be over? Sadly, it was just about to begin.

"Lois, what are we going to do?" Chloe asked, sitting on the bed next to a stretched Lois. The latter simply pointed at her nightstand. Chloe looked in the direction of her finger. There was a box. She got up and walked to it.

"There's a ring inside." Lois called out.

Chloe opened the box and found what seemed to be a fairly pretty ring. Silver and diamonds- shiny too.

"Lois, did I not find out of someone proposing to you?" she asked, holding the piece of jewelry between her thumb and index finger.

"Err... no. I just bought it once to wear for a party."

"Such an expensive ring, for a party?"

"Expensive? Pfft! That's Cubic Zirconium staring back at you. It cost me 30 bucks- _max_."

"Well let's see it on you." Chloe said, once reaching Lois who threatened to nod off into the land of Sleep.

She groaned. "Fine." Lois said and buried her head into her pillow, then outstretched her hand into Chloe's face. The content blond slid it on her fourth finger- right to left. She stood still in silence.

"It looks weird." she said,cutting straight to the point.

"Must I ask why?"whined Lois.

"It's just that... Lois Lane... married?"

"I am NOT married." she said letting out a breathy laugh.

"Well your left hand says otherwise." she said and just as Chloe finished her sentence, she was caught off guard with a blow to the head.

"Hey!" Chloe said, adjusting her now disheveled mane.

"NOT MARRIED." Lois said through gritted teeth, and repositioned her pillow (weapon of assault) under her head again.

"Fine... Geez." Chloe said as she walked away and sat on the couch next to Jimmy.

"I swear, she's angrier than usual." Chloe said, confiding in him.

"I think the thought of living with Clark is getting to her."

"Please, Jimmy. They lived under the same roof _twice_, nothing new there." she said, facing him.

"...Yeah, but this time it's different." he said, keeping an eye on Lois who discretely glanced at her ring.

"Yeah?"

"Well... they _are_ going to be living alone- just Lois and Clark... Clark and Lois."

Chloe smiled._ 'Lois and Clark- Clark and Lois.'_

"By the way that wasn't a bird." Jimmy said, smiling innocently, breaking Chloe's train of thought.

"Jimmy.. Lois was just.."

"Blind? Yeah I know. It was a plane. Although, I could understand how she'd get it confused with the wings, but it was _clearly_ an airplane."

Chloe laughed to herself... Jimmy was something else.

"You see? Like that." he said, pointing at a small figure that breezed through the sky outside.

Chloe smiled and decided it was best just to play along. "Yeah, where?"

"There."

Chloe focused her vision and shook her head as she caught sight of Jimmy's indication. "Jimmy that is _obviously _a bird."

He looked at her, his mouth agape. "No... its a plane! Do you see the front of it? It's too long and narrow to be a bird."

"Jimmy.. _It's a __**bird**_!"

"_No_, it's a plane!"

"It's-"

"Clark! Back so soon?" Jimmy asked the tall rugged man that had just walked through the door, clearly unaffected by the luggage he carried.

"Um, yeah no traffic." he said and smiled quietly. He noticed Jimmy staring at his bags and back at him, a bit confused.

"Man! My shoulder is killing me!" he said and dropped the large duffel-bag on the floor, making a loud _clunk._

_"_Right, because you have a lot of clothes in there and any regular person would find such a large bag heavy." Chloe, said trying to throw some more dirt over the "hole".

The three sat there in momentary silence.

"Where's Lois?" Clark asked, interrupting what seemed to be a cricket's chorus.

"Right behind you Mr. Wonder." Chloe said, pointing a finger past him. Yes. In fact, he did seem to be pretty blind at the moment. But what had made Clark wonder of Lois' whereabouts, was that he didn't hear her at all- and that was very rare indeed.

Clark turned around and found a quiet Lois snuggled under her covers, a small smile forming on her lips. He couldn't believe it. Lois had caught him sleeping various times, but if his memory wasn't failing him- that was the first time he found Lois asleep- at least, peacefully.

As he subconsciously strode closer to get a better look, he noticed Lois' slender fingers slide up against the white cotton fabric that laid under her head. And then he saw it.

A sparkly wedding ring.

"Where did she get the ring from?" Clark asked, directing his question to the quiet pair on the couch before him.

"She already had it. Cheap old thing she had bought." Chloe said and shrugged.

Clark dug his hand in his pocket, and fished out his dad's wedding band. He stared at it and slid it on. For some reason, it really bothered him that his ring had a whole lot more significance than Lois'... It was then that he had to remind himself that he shouldn't care.

Because it was all fake.

_**To be continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay. Okay. SHOOT ME. I know I promised them moving in in this chapter.. but thing is, I didn't want to over-crowd it. Truth be told, the reader (and I include myself as well) only appreciates the most remembered (the last thing you read). I really liked this whole ring thing and more importantly, it'll have some significance later... so I didn't want it to be left forgotten. So, please don't kill me.. okay? I SWEAR- next chapter they'll move in. _-Dashes out of room to dodge rotten salmonella-full tomatoes-_ If it consoles you guys, we'll get a Clois morning together (but separate) in the Talon apartment, and then a Clois night together (but separate) in Metropolis.. See? Full circle! _-Runs out of room again-_

(P.S: By separate I mean they don't share the same bed. Sorry guys!)

* * *


	9. Transfer

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple that is! Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Eight:**

**TRANSFER**

* * *

trans·fer – (trans-**fur**)

_-verb_

1. to convey or remove from one place, person, etc., to another

* * *

"It looks weird." Chloe told her bluntly, making her grow frustrated.

"Must I ask why?" she whined.

"It's just that... Lois Lane... married?"

"I am NOT married." she said incredulously.

"Well your left hand says otherwise." Chloe said and before she could let her cousin finish, her instinct told her to club her with a pillow for speaking such crazy things- and Lois Lane always followed her instincts.

"Hey!" Chloe said, fixing her then messy hair.

"NOT MARRIED." Lois said through gritted teeth, and repositioned her pillow under her head again.

"Fine... Geez." Chloe said as she walked away and sat on the couch next to Jimmy.

"I swear, she's angrier than usual." she heard Chloe whisper to Jimmy.

"I think the thought of living with Clark is getting to her." _'Getting to her? Jimmy had no clue what he was saying! Why would living with Clark make her antsy and fidgety? -Not to mention irritable. That made no sense!'_ All of this was making her blood boil. She shut her eyes, blocking out the angry thoughts. And before she knew it... she was dreaming.

_She walked. And Walked. And Walked. Some invisible force seemed to push her down an... aisle? 'Please let it be Aisle 12 in WalMart.' _

_Her vision shifted to her right, and then her left- flowers. Beautiful ornaments of fuchsia flowers hung on the side of mahogany pews. _

_'Oh no.' _

_She turned to look ahead, where she saw a pair of broad shoulders in a black suit. Everything about him seemed unfamiliar, like a big blur. Who was she being forced to marry? She looked down to her hands that clutched a bouquet of wild roses in a shade of deep pink. _

_'Hold on. Is this... real?' She shifted her bouquet on her right hand and brought her left up to eye-level. It wasn't as clear as she hoped, but for some reason she was 100 sure that it was her ring. No, not her mother's... Lucy owned it, and she wore it around her neck..._

_Lois had spent the most time with her mother while she was alive, and it always seemed enough reason for her to be the one who owned such an important heirloom, but not everything in life was how she wanted it. When she was little she always envisioned getting married with her mother's sparkly gold ring on her hand, her mom sitting in the front row of the church, dabbing her tears with a white handkerchief. But again, you can't always get what you want. Seemed Lois figured if she couldn't get married in in the way she always wanted, why get married at all? It's not like she could ever be happy if her mother wasn't there for her. It all affected the whole 'settling down clause'. She knew many people talked about Lois Lane having her way with many men, but in those fleshy moments that she spent in the high hours of the night, it seemed to her that she was never going to have more, and since she couldn't have it, she learned to not want it. _

_Lois kept staring at her ring, lost in it's cuts that reflected light back into her dilated pupils. Such an insignificant piece of junk. She had bought it on sale, because it simply 'matched her outfit', at least thats what the lady behind the counter told her. She blinked twice, looking down at her silky pointed heels.. and they weren't moving. When had she stopped walking? She looked up. _

"_Do you, Oliver Queen, take Lois Lane to be your lawfully wedded wife?" 'Oliver?' _

"_I do." Nodded the smiley blond that stood before her._

"_And do you, Lois Lane, take Oliver Queen to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Of all people she had to marry, she should have been glad it was Ollie, seeing as she was still in love with him, break-up and all. So why did she have the urge to run down the aisle, and never look back? _

"_I.." 'Lois, don't say it. You don't want it.' She didn't? Did she not want Oliver anymore? "I.. do.." 'What?! That was not the plan! NO!! JUST SAY NO!' But she couldn't. She lost her train (not the lengthy fabric that dragged behind her). No, she lost her train of thought. Why? Because she was too busy staring mesmerized at the shadowed figured that had just ripped- yes, ripped open the church doors. It was then that she felt it. The urge to say no._

"_..Not. I do NOT want to marry you Oliver." she said, breathless, never tearing her gaze off the figure that paced towards her. She didn't care about Ollie's reaction, all she wanted to see was the face of her hero, the man that saved her from being with one she didn't love... anymore. As her rescuer approached, she was overwhelmed with a feeling of.. familiarity. He wore- a red jacket. 'Red Jacket, Red jacket, Red- CLARK?!' Her suspicions were confirmed as Clark stood before her, and in one swift moment, held her in his strong arms. She blinked. The flowers, Ollie, the church, her wedding dress- it was all gone. She was herself again. But not just herself.. she was Lois and Clark._

_As she felt his fingers trace the line of her jaw, she knew she was dreaming. Nothing was real. In any given moment she would wake up. _

_'I've got you.' he said, moistening his lips with his tongue._

_She swallowed, her breath uneven._

_As his face approached hers, she noticed his features darken and blur, until all she saw was dense obscurity._

She stared at the ceiling above her. _'Just a dream.' _She looked at her surroundings- it was already dark out. How long had she been asleep? She rolled over on her side, now able to read the blinking red numbers on her digital alarm clock.

_4:22 AM. 4:22 AM. 4:23 AM._

She repositioned herself onto her back again. She needed a drink of water, and she was determined to get it.

She gently peeled the covers off her body, now noticing that she was still dressed in her the clothes she had worn the day before. She tiptoed quietly to the kitchen island. Her vision finally accustoming to the darkness of the room. She spotted several boxes of pizza on the counter- some half-full, others completely empty.

She continued scanning the room, and finally caught sight of a clean glass on the shelf, and so, went to get it... except it was too high. She stealthily grabbed a stool, and when standing upon it, she found that she missed it by a hair. After much effort, she finally got a hold of the object of her desire- except shortly after acquiring it, it had slipped out of her grasp and crashed onto the floor below her.

"Damn it!" she cursed to herself quietly, as she scurried to hide behind the side of the counter, now sitting silently, waiting for someone to wake up and yell over the ruckus she had made.

She heard a groan. A male groan. She leaned her upper body to her left, enough for her to gain vision of the voice's possible source. She saw Jimmy in a sleeping bag on the floor, curled up into a ball, softly snoring. Why wasn't he on the couch like he always was when he slept over? And then she caught sight of foreign suitcases by the door.

Clark.

She shifted her gaze onto the couch, and sure enough a shirtless Clark laid on the couch, sleeping.

She quietly walked over to the blue piece of furniture, being the brave army brat that she was. She sat beside the couch, waiting for a confirmation that Clark hadn't woken up.

"Thank God you didn't wake up." she whispered in the dark. She felt her stomach flip-flop.

_'I've got you.' _

She shook her head, attempting to dissipate flashbacks from her dream**_._**

As she stood by his dormant body, he unexpectedly shifted onto his side, now facing her. His closed eyelids burned holes in her cornea. She looked down to her feet, biting her lip nervously.

_'Don't wake up, Don't wake up.' _she chanted silently.

Having glanced at the floor, she found a warm heap of fabric piled by her toes. She leaned down to pick it up. It was the red blanket she had supplied Amnesiac Clark with upon their first meeting.

_'Must have fell off him when turning over._' Lois reasoned and smiled. She smoothed the blanket in her hands, and gingerly laid it on Clark, covering his jaw down to the tip of his toes. She crossed her arms over her chest, satisfied with her work. It could've been her imagination, but she swore the corners of his mouth lifted subtly.

She sighed. She needed to go back to sleep. Forgetting about her thirst and the shards of glass on the kitchen floor, Lois changed into pajamas and crawled back into bed. She closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to consume her.

* * *

Little did she know, that her fears were spot on. Indeed, Clark had woken up with the sounds of broken glass.

He knew it was Lois, because for starters, her Damn It's were unmistakable, and her heartbeat singular. He didn't know when, how or why, but he could single out her heartbeat in a large crowd in a matter of seconds. Imagine his surprise when hearing that heartbeat resounding louder and louder in his eardrums as she approached the couch he rested on.

"Thank god you didn't wake up." he heard her say softly into the dead air.

He felt guilt pouring over him for pretending to sleep, but really, his plan was to fall back asleep after Lois did. No harm in that, right?

He subconsciously shifted on his side, getting comfortable, hoping this would send her scurrying back under her covers. Instead, he felt a warmness envelop his flesh, a scent of Lois' car still threaded in the blanket he suspected she had just laid on him. He never told anyone, but when he first met Lois, he had tossed the blanket aside, for he really never felt the cold and saw no use of it. But once he befriended her, and they grew closer, he couldn't leave it forgotten. It draped over the couch of his loft, to which he used at times when falling asleep while studying. It was there for Easy Access. But it was also there to remind him of her. Whether he wanted to or not, it always did. He never tossed it in the hamper, and his mother never offered to wash it. He didn't know why, but it was some unspoken agreement. Who knew a red blanket could mean so much?

He heard her heart skip a beat. Had he slipped a smile out when lost in his thoughts? It didn't matter anymore, because she had stood up and walked away from him.

* * *

The day began as any other day would have started- with a morning. Honestly, she didn't need anyone calling her, or nudging her, not even a bullet-proof yanking of the sheets. Yep, she was pretty awake at 8 AM, as weird as it was. She had to blame it on the early start of sleep she had gotten the day before, and the waking up at 4 AM part too. Suddenly, she remembered the broken glass she left on the floor from the night before. She hoped Jimmy and Chloe hadn't cut themselves when waking up, which she knew they already had once hearing Chloe sneeze, and Jimmy closing the front door behind him. Where he had gone to was not known to her yet. While she was thinking about the previously mentioned, she felt a gaze fixed on her. She waited for it to shift elsewhere, but it didn't. Who was watching her sleep? She feigned a stretch, this granting her a slit of temporary vision, but once her body relaxed again, her eyelids had to close too.

Honestly, she expected to get a glimpse of either a camera lens, a blond bob, or some fabric colored in a combination of red, yellow, blue and/or white, but she didn't. Instead, she saw what she could've sworn was a built- olive green- chest. For a second, she almost believed it was Ollie, but she didn't recall any signature blond spikes, much to her newly-acquired relief. But no, there wasn't any blond hair, so it wasn't Chloe, and Jimmy was sort of blond too, therefore not him either.

So, who was it?

She was extremely tempted to just pop open her hazel eyes, but getting up that early would've seriously cramped her style. She stopped thinking. ...She heard voices.

"Clark, it'll be over before you know it. Just.. take it a day at a time." she heard Chloe say. Why had she felt deep pain in her gut? Was she hungry? Because, she already knew Clark was being forced into everything.

"I don't know Chloe..."

"Clark, you're overreacting"

"-Overreacting?"

"Yeah, it's only a-"

"-You're right. Just... forget I said anything. I guess I just really want today to be over with." '_Hmph! Well so do I!'_

"Fine." She then heard foot steps gliding across the hardwood floor, followed by a screech on the mattress beside her.

"Lois." A soft nudge.

"Mmm..." Fake-groaned Lois.

"Lois, come on, get up. Moving Day."

She growled. No pretending there. She definitely was not happy that today was the day she had to do the big apartment switch-a-roo with Jimmy-Boy.

The door opened. "Coffee!" chirped a high pitched voice.

Jimmy.

He hadn't directed himself to her yet, but she suddenly had the urge to strangle him. Perhaps something about moving into his apartment being his idea could have influenced the violent fantasy. Perhaps.

"Lois, get up... I'm going to drink your coffee if you don't..." blackmailed Chloe. It worked.

She opened her eyes, fully this time. So her suspicions about Ollie were right on, it wasn't him she had caught a glance of earlier. It was Smallville himself... Just one problem... there wasn't anything very 'Smallville' about him. He sported dark wash jeans, a little more snug than usual, a deep green shirt, which for some reason made her notice how green his eyes looked that morning, and the big shocker that might have made her cook up some sarcastic remark- that is, if she wasn't pretending to be half-asleep. Clark was.. wearing a pair of Black Converse. Besides muddy boots, she'd seen Clark in a leather pair (matching outfit complimentary) at the underground caged fighting arena, and he wore flip-flops once at the cheerleader's pool party, but never did she see Clark in **sneakers, **at least not in casual wear. To top it all off (literally), his hair was brushed wet with a loose curl hanging carelessly above his forehead, making her come to the conclusion that it had torn itself away from the rest of his dark mane, the reason being that water just wasn't enough to keep his hair sleek and put together.

She wasn't sure if it was the aroma of coffee or the warm sunlight ridding of her goosebumps, but at that moment she felt a moan forming in the back of her throat. It had to be the thought of caffeine or the feeling of warm light, because there was NO WAY that the sight of Clark was the cause of such sudden pleasure. Just wasn't possible. Or was it?

"Here." said Jimmy who, after noticing Lois' death glare, opted to leave the Styrofoam cup on her night table. Lois quickly got a hold of her warm drink and brought it up to her nose, taking in a long whiff of coffee beans. She smiled behind the flimsy plastic lid, her lips molding over the opening beside its rim. The steamy liquid really hit the spot, making her previous mood almost completely dissipate.

Almost.

As she drank, her eyes danced around the room, as everyone walked about, getting her and Clark's luggage situated at the door. Her eyes subconsciously darted straight ahead of her, aligning with Clark's. She coughed on her coffee. Why was he staring at her? She tucked her brown hair behind her ear as she stood up from the bed. She swayed over to the bathroom, closing the door behind her shut.

* * *

"I'm going to miss you Lois." Chloe said as she hugged her older cousin. She let her go and held her at arms length. Lois really didn't look like herself, but once Lois had opened her mouth to speak, she knew her cousin was very much alive in the body before her. Lois smiled a bit sadly. She was going to miss her little cous' too. She ran her fingers through dark chocolate strands, which were partially held back with pins on either side of her head. She sighed and looked herself over in the mirror that hung behind Chloe. She wore a pair of _**pink**_flip-flops, a frilly white top, and denim Bermuda shorts. Her face felt very naked to her, seeing as she had only applied some moisturizer, cherry flavored chap-stick and black mascara. Even with little make-up, Lois still looked beautiful, just not in the way her peers were accustomed to... which was exactly what they all wanted.

She turned to look over at Clark, who spoke quietly to Jimmy.

"Ahem." she said while tapping Clark's shoulder. Both Clark and Jimmy stood in silence.

"So here are the keys to my Volvo." Jimmy spoke out of no where, a slight undertone of nervousness noted from Lois' part.

"Volvo? Why are you giving us keys to your car?" Lois asked while raising an eyebrow.

"We talked about this yesterday. Aside from apartments, we decided we should switch cars too. This Simon guy probably knows Clark's truck- and might keeps tabs on him too, I'm sure he thinks you and CK are dating-"

Lois' eyes grew wide. "WHAT?! Why on Earth would he think that?! I know the guy is demented, but... Dating? Seriously!!" Lois said while pointing a finger at Clark and back at her.

Jimmy chose his words wisely, and very cautiously. "...Well, it's just that-" he avoided Lois' piercing hazel eyes. "-you and Clark spend a lot of time together... The farm is like your second home. If Chloe hadn't told me how you two are always butting heads, I would've thought so too." he focused on a floor board while waiting for Lois' answer.

"I- you're- what?! That's crazy talk. We do not-" she stopped to look at Clark, who seemed to have bought Jimmy's explanation.

She was out-numbered.

"Well, whatever. If you and Smallville here want to switch cars over some remote, and not to mention IDIOTIC possibility that was brewed up as a result of sleep-deprivation, then be my guest. Clark's truck was starting to smell like old gym socks anyway- or maybe it wasn't so much the car as it was the driver.." she stopped to ponder.

"Oh well, I guess we'll find out today." Lois smiled, and swiftly snatched the keys out of Jimmy's grasp. Let's just say Jimmy's face faltered a bit at the sound of "old socks". Clark gave him an apologetic look and dug his own keys out of his pocket.

"I owe you." he said, smiling tight-lipped and then slapped the keys in his hand, this forming in a bit of a handshake.

"Yeah.. no more drive-in make-out sessions at Lone Pine." the strawberry blond mumbled while kicking up a heap of imaginary dirt.

"Well, I'll call you if I find out anything new, and to see how you guys are holding up." Chloe sighed awkwardly and slid her hands into her trouser's pockets. "I really wish I could stay longer, but Jimmy and I need to get to work, and we all know how the rush hour on the way over to Metropolis is."

"Yeah. Well..." Lois said while adjusting the thick strap of her luggage bag. "...I'll see you guys when I see you."

"Take Care."

"Bye Lois."

And with that, Clark and Lois were alone.

"C'mon Lois, let's go."

"Sure thing, hun."

He turned to look at her. "Lois, its enough I have to live with you, but don't actually make me feel like I'm married to you." he said, widening his eyes.

"Trust me, if we were married, it would be _nothing_ like this." she said and snorted.

"Oh _really?_" he asked, not buying it.

"Let's just say... you wouldn't be complaining." she said, rolling her eyes over to Chloe's bed. She averted her gaze back at him, a sly smile forming on her lips.

He gulped.

"Shouldn't we be going?" she asked in a high pitched voice.

She had gotten to him, and she had enjoyed it.

Maybe a bit too much.

* * *

"I have to say, I think this is the best part of all this." Lois said while switching radio stations.

"There's a good part in this? Thanks for little me know- I had no idea." Clark spoke whole-heartedly.

"Ha. Ha. I'm serious!"

"Um.. so am I." he said and chuckled.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know, I guess getting on the road- and not on my way to work, new car, new place, new us, I mean... new you and me." she said and childishly flicked her finger against the lens of his glasses, which he had put on right before leaving the apartment. "It just the sense of new." she said and shrugged.

"Were you not happy with your life before?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the road before him.

"Are you turning Dr. Phil on me?" she said and shook her head in amusement. He still waited for her answer.

She sighed, knowing he wasn't going to let it go. "It's not like I was sad, or depressed... but I wouldn't go as far to saying that there weren't things I wanted to change. I think that's life for you, you're constantly changing because we're never satisfied, whether we're aware of it or not.." she said, shrugging a bit sadly.

"And I'm the one going Dr. Phil?" he said smiling. She smacked his arm playfully.

He laughed, but soon his face turned a shade solemn. "For what it's worth..." he said, pausing, then facing her. "I know what you mean."

She nodded somewhat awkwardly. "Really? Because I thought you were happy living on the farm, doing chores, feeding the cattle, deciding what shirt to wear: the red or the blue one?" she stopped to take in his reaction. He simply stifled a laugh.

"...Along with watching the love of your life about to marry your ex-best friend." she said and winced. Had she gone too far? Was that the taboo subject? _'Those We Don't Speak Of'_? She waited for a reprimand. Instead there was silence.

"My life is pretty pathetic, isn't it?" he said, breathing heavily through his nose. Oh no, another pity party.

She shut her eyes tight, not really wanting to deal with that at the moment. She looked out the window, but something tugged at her heart, making her feel really guilty. She sighed and turned to face him again. "Clark, you make your life what you want it to be. Maybe... you're just afraid of going after what you really want, because you know that you'll never get yesterday back- even if that yesterday wasn't as sunny as you wanted it to be, but at least there were no surprises." she said, giving him an extra-warm gaze, to which he took no notice from.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Oddly enough, you're right. I always keep everything safe... I never do anything spontaneous."

"But that's just you Smallville! It's not like you can help it." she said and turned her head to read the billboard that just passed by. _25 miles to Metropolis._

He turned to look at her, his thoughts an enigma.

The car was filled with silence, so much, that he heard Lois' stomach growling, _without_ super-hearing. "You hungry?" he asked. They had been driving for an hour and a half now.

"Well, now that you bring it up..." she said her eyes wandering girlishly. "..I _did_ only have a muffin and coffee at the Talon..."

"Well, there's a Diner down the road. Sound good?"

She shrugged. "Sure." she said, agreeing to Clark's suggestion. Was that the first time they were going to eat lunch or any kind of meal... alone? Her stomach flip-flopped for the second time in a matter of hours- and she didn't like it. Mere seconds later, Clark was turning on Jimmy's blinker, getting ready to turn left into Dee's Diner's parking lot. After driving in and finding a parking space, both climbed out of their seats, closing the sedan's doors behind them.

"Man, I miss my jeans so much." she said, kicking up a goose bump-filled leg, high enough for her to attempt rubbing it warm with her hand's friction.

"Me too."

"What?" she asked, whipping her head in his direction, a crooked smile on her face.

He reached for the front door of the Diner, opening it. "I meant I miss my clothes too, specifically my jackets-"

She cocked her head to the side, "I thought you don't feel the cold?" she said, walking in before him.

"I don't... Doesn't mean I don't feel warmth though."

She stopped to think. Did that make any sense? She shook her head and focused her attention to the middle aged woman that walked their way.

"Good morning, how are you folks today?"

"Good, great, hungry- err, starving" Lois said honestly, a friendly grin on her face.

The woman let out a small chuckle. "Would you like to sit in a booth or up at the counter?" she said, her thumb pointing at the stools behind her.

Clark turned to look at Lois. She shrugged and tightened her mouth at one corner.

"Um.. a booth, thank you."

"Okay, there's an empty one in the corner back there, I'll be with you in a minute." She smiled and made a beeline to the kitchen.

They walked towards the very cozy corner. She hoped the waitress didn't think they were- um, you know, dating. Then it hit her: Of course she wouldn't, she'd think they're married! She glanced at her ring again. It was their first public appearance as Erin and Tod. She made a mental note to avoid appearing openly disgusted to Clark, they were supposed to be newlyweds after all.

She slid into the burgundy leather seat, warm from the recess lighting above her.

"So," he paused, "Do you have any cravings?" he said, eying the Menu before him.

Hearing that, she was genuinely confused. Cravings? What did he mean by cravings? She eyed him suspiciously. Could it be? Here eyes widened. She leaned in closer to Clark, about to whisper menacingly, when she caught sight of the waitress walking out the kitchen's doors. She plastered on a smile.

"I can't believe you and Jimmy also decided I should be pregnant too. Cars are one thing, and so are living arrangements, but a baby? I should-"

"What will you be drinking this fine morning?"

Lois smiled even broader than before. She retreated from her hunched-over-table position. Instead, she sat firmly against the cushioned seat behind her, far away from Clark.

"I'll have a glass of orange juice..." he trailed off, his expectant gaze floating over to Lois.

"And what will the lady be having?" she said, sloppily jotting down Clark's drink on her notepad.

"Um.. I'll have the same, thank you." Lois said sweetly. The waitress nodded, her vision still glued to the pad.

"Would you like to order your food now, or would you like some more time to decide?" She said looking up, bouncing her glances off the pair before her.

"We're not quite ready yet." Clark said, knowing they needed to finish they're conversation before any eating would be taking place.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few with your beverages, and ready to take your orders." And with that, the waitress left.

Now it was Clark that leaned in. "Pregnant? I never said you were supposed to be pregnant!" he spit through his teeth, continuing their conversation right where it left off.

Lois' eyes widened. "You look like you're angry at me, fake up a smile or a cheesy gaze, or something." she said, feeling antsy.

He furrowed his eyebrows, confused. She sighed looked to her right, a skinny old woman eyed her strangely while nudging her husband. _'Crap! Were they onto them?' _She thought quickly, not wanting people to look at them suspiciously._ 'Here it goes..' _

Out of nowhere, sherested her left hand over his. His eyes were still glued to her, unfazed by her action. He wasn't getting it. She laced her fingers through his, suddenly feeling like she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. She swallowed, hoping it would go away. She read his facial expression. Still confused. She faked him up a smile, getting ready to explain herself.

"You're not supposed to treat me like you would before in public. So say what you want to me, but you can't show your feelings through your face. Like this, see I'm saying what I want but I'm smiling like a love-struck idiot. We're 'married', remember?"

He took a second to take her words in. He then smiled, "Okay, one thing though... why are you holding my hand?"

She glanced down."What? Oh right! Don't look now, but there was this lady looking at us suspiciously, so I didn't know what to do. Grabbing your hand seemed the right thing to do at the time." she said, and looked away, her fingers leaving his, brushing against the table when finding her pocket.

Something in his eyes flickered. "So let me try this again. When I asked if you were craving something, I meant if there was something you wanted to eat that- I don't know, you haven't had in a long time, I wasn't teasing you asking if you wanted to eat something because you were feeding an imaginary fetus." he said, raising his eyebrows amused.

"Oh." she said, feeling very stupid. "Sorry."

"Besides, if I would have ever thought about an imaginary pregnancy, you would've been the one I talked to first, not Jimmy and Chloe." he said, softly looking over her facial features.

"Right."

"Just don't try jumping to conclusions... I wouldn't be surprised of that old lady was talking to her husband about something else... doubt she'd think we're.." he stopped briefly, "pretending to be married." he dramatically whispered.

"You think you're real funny, don't you?" she said, fighting a smile, but eventually let it float to the surface.

"I have my moments." he said, grinning boyishly.

Shortly after, the waitress came back, took their orders, and after a few minutes, came and laid their plates before them. After that, the only sounds that were heard were that of clinking cubes, forks and knives scratching over porcelain plates, and the change Clark laid beside the dollar bills on the table before leaving.

* * *

"Man.. I haven't been this full since I ate dinner at your mom's that last time." Lois said, reclining her car seat.

"What last time? Am I supposed to remember? Its not like you come over to eat exclusively on holidays."

She playfully glared at him. "Well if I'm not mistaken.. I think it was the day I found out that you could lift a tractor with your bare hands, AND set it on fire, with your eyes no less. A conversation like that can really work up an appetite, you know."

"I know. Imagine dealing with a life like that.. why do you think I eat so much pie?" he said, smiling. "That night was pretty vivid. I recall your dishes looking as they did before any kind of food was placed on it. But yeah, how could I forget? Your face was priceless when I sped down the barn stairs and I stood in front of you-"

"-after being up at the loft 2 seconds before." Lois said, rolling on her side, facing him. She noticed his surprised look when he went to face her, expecting her to be seated upright, and instead found her reclined in her seat, watching him speak.

Clark coughed. "You're sleepy?" he asked, his voice falling a bit flat.

"No, just want to be comfortable." she said, a yawn deceiving her.

"Right. I think you'll find that _not_ true. Before you know it, you'll be waking up at Jimmy's apartment complex, getting ready to move your bags in the elevator. But before you conk out I just wanted to ask..."

He turned to look at her. He could tell she had already dozed off. He sighed.

"I wanted to ask you about your ring..." he said to no one. He adjusted his sitting position, knowing he wouldn't have anyone to talk to for the rest of the trip. If he would've been asked a week before if he wanted Lois to tag along with him on a long drive, he would have made his decline very clear, but now... he wasn't so sure he would answer quite the same.

* * *

She never heard the end of his sentence. He was right, morning sun shining down through the car window and everything, she had fallen asleep.

"Lois, we're here."

"Mmm?" She sat up, the thick gray seatbelt material crashing into her face, making wake her up entirely. "Ouch! What the?" She cried out, stroking her now pink cheek.

"Sorry, I unfastened your seatbelt right before you had lifted your head. I thought it would've taken you at least 5 seconds longer to register my voice."

She turned to sleepily stare at him. His eyes wandered up to her head, slightly widening a bit.

"What?" she asked, irritated. She followed his gaze. Her fingers slid up her neck and face, and finally over to her head.

"Here, let me help you." he said and leaned in closer to her, his cheek half an inch away from her own.

"Ow!" she said, feeling him pull a hair pin out of her brunette locks.

"Sorry." he said apologetically. She felt his breath on the back of her neck, making her swallow hard.

Annoyed by his close proximity, she inhaled and exhaled frustrated, only to smell his yummy musky scent by mistake.

"Are you done yet?" she asked, aggravated.

"Th..ere. Last One." He said, still leaning by her face. She waited for him to pull away, but instead, felt his hand stroke her soft hair.

"What're you doing?" she said, resting a hand over his chest, pushing him away from her.

"Your hair was rumpled." he said, a confused tone seeping through. He looked down at her hand, it fitting perfectly over the curve of his pecs.

"Oh.. Thanks." she said awkwardly, lifting her hand away from him, as if she had just set it on a scorching hot kitchen stove.

"Well, here." he said motioning for her to open her hand. Reluctantly, she did. He dropped the brown pins in her sweaty palm. What had she expected him to do?

"Well, we should get going." she said, looking away from him and onto the car door. She lifted the lock and handle, opening it.

She got out of the vehicle and lifted her white top away from her sweaty chest, thankful that on that day, the wind was a-blowin', for really it was starting to warm up in Jimmy's old Volvo. Although she swore the Air Conditioner was on its highest setting...

"I think you should come help me, unless you want people to catch onto my... 'strength.'" she heard Clark say behind her. She turned around to find him standing behind the car, trunk top popped open, lifting suitcases out and setting them on the gravel under his feet.

"Coming." she said monotonously, clacking her flip-flops over to him.

"I think we're going to have to do a second trip." he said, fists over his hips, examining the amount before him.

"Fine by me. After sitting for 3 hours, I don't mind the idea of walking so much" she said, hauling a bag over her shoulder.

"Here, let me get that one, its looks heavy." Clark offered, intentions at best.

"Smallville, I've survived carrying quite a large amount of grocery bags up the Talon stairs, all at once- alone, and I have no hernias 'til this day. I don't need your help." she said, patting his back afterwards, a forced grin on her face. She began to walk away from the car, towards their apartment building.

"Typical Lane." she heard him grunt.

"Did you say something?" she asked, spinning on her heel.

"Nope."

She smiled seductively. "Thought so." she said, and turned her back to him again, picking up her pace. "Come on. Last one there is a rotten egg!" she called out over her shoulder, beginning to pick up her feet faster, her power walk forming into a sprint.

"Are you serious?!" she heard him yell out behind her.

Before she knew it, he was biting her dust, and soon after- passing her. He hadn't even broken a sweat. Instead, he was in a fit of chuckles, running backwards, watching her face redden.

"Don't. Hold. Back." she said, pumping her leg muscles harder.

"Fine. If you say so." And just like that, Clark Kent disappeared before her eyes. She stopped mid-run, dropping her luggage bag on the floor beside her. Where had he gone? She spotted a figure from a distance. She squinted her eyes, making out his built frame standing by a potted plant at the lobby entrance. He waved at her.

She smiled mischievously while wiping the beads of sweat off her forehead..

"That will never get old."

* * *

"What floor is it on?"

"It's apartment number.." he glanced down at the scrap pf paper in his hand. "...200. Should be the 2nd floor."

"Only? What a waste of an elevator ride." she said, grimacing.

"Actually, I like that it's on the second floor. It's close to the ground." he said, acting out his point by crouching a bit.

"What? Clark- that is _so_ lame." she said, pressing the bubble-like button with a bold imprint of the number 2 on its surface.

"_Clark?_ You only call me _Clark_ when you're serious, or when you find me sexy." he said, raising his eyebrows playfully.

She turned to him, looking somewhat disgusted. "Don't try to change the subject... I'm onto you, y'know."

_Ping! _

The doors opened before them, Clark scurrying out from the elevator, leaving Lois inside. He turned to her.

"Aren't you going to come out?" he said, perplexed.

Her jaw dropped. "Oh. my. god."

"What?" he asked, scanning the premises.

"You're afraid of heights!"

He furrowed his eyebrows dramatically. "I am _not!_"

"You're also a terrible liar, you know that?" Lois said, dragging suitcases behind her, getting them all out just as the doors were closing.

"Me?"

"No, not you! Pinocchio there behind you- yes, **of course you!**" she said, sarcastically. She shook her head. "In which direction are the numbers decreasing?" she asked, noticing apartment number 213 in front of her.

Clark looked in both directions of the lit hallway. "I think left."

"Then left it is... scaredy cat."

They walked down the hallway in silence. The only sound heard was that of wheels rolling on the thick carpet.

"I admit it." Clark spoke out once reaching their door.

"Admit what?" she asked, leaning against the wallpaper-clad wall.

"That I'm afraid of heights." he said solemnly, a shade of shame on his visage.

"Okay." she quickly said, shrugging.

"That's it?"

"Yep." She held out her hand, wanting Jimmy's apartment key.

"So you're not going to bug me about my fear of heights?" he asked, skeptical about her behavior.

"Hey, if you want me to, by all means, I will. NOW FORK OVER THE KEY!" she yelled out aggressively, her palm threatening to crash into his glasses.

"Okay, okay. Here." he said, cautiously laying them in her hand.

"Thank you." she said, straightening out her top. She held her breath.

Inserting the key was harder than she thought. She hopped up on the tip of her toes, cracking her neck. Okay. She held the key, her fingertips sweaty against its cold surface.

"Do you _need_ help?"Clark offered, noticing Lois' hesitance.

"Do I _ever?_" Lois responded, thrusting the golden Schlage key in the corresponding keyhole.

"Took you long enough..." he mumbled, while cleaning the lens of his eyeglasses with his cotton Tee.

She turned the knob, readying herself to glimpse at her new living quarters, but stopped short.

"Lois stop teasing me here. Open the door!" Clark said, awaiting for Lois to take action. When he noticed her rooted to her spot, he smiled evilly.

"You're scared."

She whipped her head in his direction. If looks could kill (Kryptonians), Clark Kent would've been a goner.

"Wow. You're not denying it either." he said, his ego recuperating from Lois having found out about his fear of heights.

"Cla-" she started, but noticed someone knocking on a door down the hall "Tod..."

He snorted. "Yes, baby?" The hairs on her neck stood up when hearing that. She viciously scratched her neck, leaving a red mark behind. He was getting her back for the comment she made earlier.

Sh frowned. Two could play that game. She swayed over to him, biting her bottom lip while giving him a once-over. _Pause at chest, Pause at.. southern regions. _

She noticed him gulp, yet again.

"You're right. I _am_ scared. Could you do me a favor and.." she trailed off, her breath caressing his neck.

"Yeah?" Clark said, his voice cracking.

"Could you.."

"Could I... what?" he said, his body tensing against hers.

"Oh nothing... just.."

"Tell me!"

She smiled shyly. "OPEN THE GOD DAMN DOOR!!"

"Huh? What? Oh... Right!"

"Thanks, you're the best!" she said, slapping his flat belly with the back of her hand.

"Yeah.."

So in stepped Clark and Lois into what would be their home until further notice. On their left, was a lounging area, a black couch with white cushions that faced away from the door, forming a closed area. Before the couches was of course, an entertainment area, flat screen TV included. On the right of the living room were double doors of frosted glass, framed in black coated wood. On _their_ right, was a closet, which she immediately decided was Clark's. And right before them... was her bedroom.

She sprinted to the door, and when she reached it, found she wasn't too pleased to find out that it was, for the most part, made of frosted glass as well.

"I'll be putting up a sheet behind this, so don't go getting any ideas..." she said, pecking the glass with her fingernail. "Oh wait, that's right, you don't need a glass to see through things!" she said, turning the knob and entering her sleeping quarters.

She noticed the plainly decorated bedroom. A deep brown comforter covered the Queen-sized mattress. She noticed another door.

"Please tell me there's another bathroom out there!" Lois called out when opening the new door, finding a master bath behind it. Not that she minded, but if that was the only one, Clark would have to be coming in and out of her room to relieve himself.

"Uhh.. there's another pair of doors... I also see a fridge, stove, dishwasher and sink-"

"That's a kitchen, Einstein!" she called out, surprised by his descriptive answer. She swore she could almost hear his eyes rolling.

"Second double doors open up to a study. Bookshelves, Desk, Computer..."

"So... no bathroom?" she asked, hanging up a blouse in Jimmy's empty closet. Good thing he had taken all his clothes with him when moving in with Chloe at the Talon.

"Why don't you just come look for yourself?"

"_Why don't you just come look for yourself?_" Lois said quietly when mocking Clark, an unappealing expression on her face.

She stormed through the kitchen area, reaching the study, where she found Clark on the computer.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes wide. "You should be using your X-Ray vision to find another bathroom in this apartment!"

He eyed her strangely. "Lois... why is the bathroom quota in Jimmy's apartment bugging you?"

She simply crossed her arms, her nose in the air.

"...I seem to recall you not having any problems sharing bathrooms. In fact, I seems to also recall, very vividly might I add, that _you_ were the one who walked in on _me_ taking a shower, and you _stayed_ there, chatting up a storm! So, the fact that we have one bathroom, shouldn't keep us from sleeping at night. As long as we _take turns_ using it, that is."

She thought his words over. "Gee Smallville, I wasn't aware that me walking in on your shower caused you sleepless nights. Good to know though." she said, putting on a wide smile.

"That's not... what I... meant." he said, stammering.

"Suuuure.." Lois said, strolling about the room. She stopped, standing in silence before a wall. "Hmmm..."

"What?" he asked, intrigued by Lois' contemplative mood.

"...Jimmy's pretty good at this photography thing." Lois said, looking at framed photos before her. Clark joined her by her side.

"Yeaaah..." he said, in an inside joke kind of way. He shoved his hand in his back pocket, and kept it there. She ignored it.

She walked over to the fridge. "Wow! Look at this one." she said, pointing at a picture of Chloe, Clark and herself at the beach. She could tell it was them because of their signature dark silhouettes against the sepia background. Her silhouette, being flowy, long wavy hair, not to mention being the tallest after Clark, who's broad shoulders screamed 'Kent'. And Chloe, her short hair flipping away from her petite frame. She smiled sadly. She missed her already. She guessed Clark saw that, because he lightly touched her elbow. She jumped, surprised by his action.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." he said, shoving his hands deep within his pockets.

"It's okay.. just a bit jumpy with," she looked at her surroundings, "all this.."

"Yeah, I know the feeling."

"I'm sure you do."

An awkward silence filled the room, Clark having taken his seat at the desk again while eying an uncomfortable Lois. He began to finger through Jimmy's pencils.

"So what do we do now?" she asked, frowning a bit.

"I guess unpack.." he said, scratching his mane.

"Well, the closet by the entryway is yours.. I am NOT sharing a closet with you... god forbid you accidentally packed a plaid shirt, and I put it on in the morning, half-asleep." she stated and shuddered.

"Well, you didn't seem to mind when you _'supposedly' _couldn't find anything else that was clean." he said, his fingers exaggeratedly acting out quotation marks.

Her eyes glazed over. "Well, it _was_ pretty comfortable.." she said, reminiscing of Clark's soft, red, long-sleeved plaid shirt brushing against her bare thighs. "...it's great for wearing when you're completely naked..." she trailed off, walking away from a sweaty Clark.

"...and _wet_."

The pencil laced between his fingers snapped.

* * *

_Oooooooooooooooh!! Who Lives in a Pineapple under the sea? Sponge-_

**flick.**

_-Heart Burn, Indigestion, Upset Stomach, Diarrhea-_

**flick.**

_-So you slice up the peppers like so, and then you just toss them in-_

**flick.**

"Wait wait! Go back!" Lois said, leaning over Clark, trying to gain custody of the remote.

"To what? The Food Channel? Nu-uh. Its enough you burn the food you cook, but I'm not letting you cremate the TV too." Clark said, struggling to keep the control out of her reach.

"Cremate the TV?" she asked, temporarily halting her quest for 'channelhood'. "Because I'm watching people cook, instead of cooking myself?" Lois asked aloud, as if straightening out the question in her head.

He simply raises his eyebrows, nodding his head silently.

"Okay... That's just retarded. Although, it made me come to the realization that we need to eat dinner. Take out? Or should we try making it ourselves?"

Clark bellowed a laugh.

"_Make it?_ Are you _insane?_ I'm not letting you watch The Food Channel for a reason Lois. That reason being to keep **you** as far, faaaar, FAR away from the kitchen as possible."

She cocked her eyebrow. _'Fine, if that's the way you want it.' _

"Okay." she said contently agreeing.

"Okay?" Clark asked, bewildered. He eyed her relaxed frame. "Oh no." he said and gulped "...You're not fighting back because... Did I just say something that-"

"-Benefits me?" she asked, wrapping up his question. She smiled. "Yes. Now... what is Clark Kent going to cook for me today?"

* * *

"Lois, can't we just order pizza or something?" he whined, tugging on his apron.

"Aww.. but these are the memories we need to make _together!_ Just.. pretend I'm sick in bed and I can't cook, and you, being the _swell_ husband that you are, whip something up for me." she said, fidgety with anticipation. He eyed her, displeased, to which she faked a raspy cough.

"I should get some cough drops for this." she said pointing at her esophagus.

"Yeah? And maybe some bed rest, that way, you'd get out of my sight!" he said, flipping heatedly through a cook book.

"Now, Now, Clarky, that is no way of speaking to your bed-ridden, sick, wife." she said and pouted.

He groaned.

"So, aren't you going to watch TV or go to your room or something?" he said, eying a giddy Lois who leaned against the fridge.

"What do you mean?" she asked, picking up a red magnet in the shape of an S.

"Well, if we're going to be literal about this, you should be sleeping with a thermometer in your mouth. You're 'sick', that being the reason you gave me as to why I'm cooking." he said, holding a spatula in his hand.

"No.. I meant _simulate_ the _feelings_ you would have when cooking your sick wife a meal. But, thanks to your awesome luck, I'm perfectly healthy, and perfectly content watching you cook." she said, hopping onto the counter.

"Awesome luck? Yeah.. It never fazed me that I was lucky..." he said, shaking his head. He looked up, ready to mumble something about how unlucky he was being stuck with her, when she unknowingly flashed him a carefree mega-watt smile. Wow... She looked so... pretty...

"What?" she asked, averting her Olive eyes elsewhere. She tugged on the hem of her blouse.

"Huh?" he looked around. Was he staring? _'Great.'_ He felt a massive wave of heat creep up his neck and cheeks. He sprinted to the pantry, taking refuge of its isolated layout.

"Umm.. if you want I could run real quick down to the grocery store if there's something you need for the recipe..." she suggested, hoping he'd take her up on the offer.

"Yeah, let me write you up a list."

She sighed, relieved and happy that she'd be able to get out of the stuffy apartment, even if it was for a minute.

"Here." he said, handing her a lined yellow sheet of paper.

"Alright, be back in a few." she said, grabbing her keys and jacket while unlocking the door.

Clark took a breath and turned around. "Lois!" He stopped- she had left already. He sighed. "Be careful..."

* * *

Lois looked inside her plastic red basket, going over the ingredients Clark had listed for the "Chicken Fettuccine" recipe.

_-Olive oil spray  
-8 ounces of Fettuccine  
-Chicken stock  
-Non-fat half-and-half _

She looked up at the shelves before her.

"Cooking Oil, Tomato Soup... Chicken Stock!" she spoke aloud, grabbing the large can, then dropped it in her basket. For some reason, she was trying to speed up her shopping. A vivid picture of a lonely Clark sitting on the kitchen floor, hugging an empty pot came to mind. She suddenly felt like holding him.

"Woah. _Not_ a Teddy Bear!" she reasoned while walking down the Dairy aisle. She eyed all the yummy coffee creamers in their several nutty flavors, but stopped herself from getting any.

"Half-and-half.. where are you?" Lois asked to herself quietly. She opened the glass door, feeling a gush of cold air envelop her. She shuddered.

"Cold huh?" came a male voice from beside her.

She turned to face the man awkwardly, nodding silently.

"Looking for something? I know this place like the back of my hand." he said, his stone-colored eyes lighting up.

She paused, should she ask him? He seemed nice enough. "Actually, yes I am. Is the half-and-half stocked here?" she asked, tapping the glass door with her fingertips, wiping away its fogginess with her touch.

He smiled. "Yes, it is... should be right..." he crouched down, looking at the empty shelf below the 2 milk. "It's always here... I guess they haven't restocked." he said apologetically. He ran his eyes down her figure, and she didn't like it.

"Well, I guess dinner will do without it, I guess I'm lucky that my husband isn't picky." she said, suddenly wishing Clark had come with her. He might have slung his arm around her neck at that moment... which would do more of a convincing job, because the stranger that stood before her didn't seem convinced at all.

"Married? You don't look like you would be married. Do you use that line often?" She was growing more annoyed by the second. Was he calling her a liar?

"No line, I'm married." she said, forcing a smile. "We we're high school sweet hearts, still going strong." _'Like __**super-strength**__ strong...'_

He stared at her hair. "Well, listen, a friend of mine used to work here, I know where the back storage room is..." he said, raking a hand through his raven black hair. The guy wasn't ugly, and maybe at another time she would have had some harmless flirting, but not today. For one, this guy gave her the creeps, and two, she felt like she was cheating on her boyfriend. A weird sensation seeing as she wasn't dating anyone... but the reality was, she wanted to leave.

"No thanks, I've got everything else I need here. I'll just substitute the half-and-half with something else. Thanks anyway." she said, and spun on her heel, her back facing him as she walked away.

"Wait!" he called out behind her. She turned around, her expression bored and frustrated. "What?"

"What's your name?" he asked, smiling widely.

"Lo-" she stopped herself. "Look, I'm not comfortable giving out my name to strangers." she said, tilting her head.

"Strangers? Just see me as a friend that helped you out at the grocery store. C'mon," he said, searching her face for a sign of leniency. "What's your name?"

She breathed heavily through her nose. "Erin. Now, I have to go, they're waiting for me back home."

"Erin?" thought aloud the dark haired man as she walked out of the grocery store. "Well, Erin, you remind me of somebody I know..."

* * *

"So he was all like, You're not married, and I'm thinking who the hell are you to tell me if I'm married or not. What an idiot." Lois vented while cutting up the garlic cloves. She decided to help Clark after all.

"Really?" he didn't seem surprised. "How did he look?" he asked, stirring the pasta in boiling water.

"Um, I don't know... dark hair, tall. _Chop._ Whatever, doesn't matter. _Chop._ He was such a pervert. _Chop_. I can't stand men like- _Chop._ ARRGH! Crap!"

"What happened?" Clark asked her once rushing to her side. She held out her finger, drenched in blood.

"Lois, you and the kitchen aren't meant for each other." he said, leading her to the sink, where he washed her fingertips with warm water.

"Yeah, I should know that by now."

"Where's the box of band-aids?" he asked opening and closing the cabinets desperately.

"It's okay... I could just use paper towel-" she said, but clearly realized Clark was using his X-Ray vision to find her a box. She smiled.

"Here we go..." he said, tearing away the plastic that covered the sticky beige material. He wrapped the band-aid snuggly around her fingertip, careful to not put it on too tight, for he didn't want to cut off her circulation either.

"Thanks." she said, watching the blood slightly seep through.

"How about I do the cutting and you do the stirring? That is, if you promise to be careful and not burn yourself." he said, looking down to her.

She looked up at him, smiling, a warm feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach. "I can handle it."

* * *

"I think we make a pretty good team." Lois said, her mouth full of food. She grabbed a napkin, wiping the corners of her mouth. "This is pretty damn good." she said, pointing at the creamy noodles on her plate.

"Yeah, it is." he said, sipping on a cup of water. He eyed her, worried. "So how's your finger?"

"What? Oh! My finger, its fine I guess." she said, shrugging.

"Lois,"

She waited expectantly.

"How did the man at the store look?" he asked, crossing his arms on the table.

She sighed. "I don't know, black hair, fair complexion,"

"Grey eyes?" he asked.

She dropped her fork. "How did you- Wait... was that..?"

"Maybe. Lois, I know you're all for the independence thing, but I can't let you go to places alone anymore. I've done all this for you- to protect you, I can't and I won't throw it all away now." he said, sadness setting in his eyes.

"Clark, I completely understand." she said nodding.

"Although I can't believe that you told him you were married and he refused to believe it." he stopped to think. "We have to convince him, and everyone." he sighed, surrendering. "Once we walk through that door," he said, pointing at the entryway. "We're not Clark Kent and Lois Lane. We're Tod and Erin, married, and in love. ...It's going to be weird and hard, but its just going to have to be." he said, rubbing his temple.

She sighed. "You're right..." she said, the idea secretly scaring her. "Well, I'm going to take a shower, I am _so_ tired." she said, finishing her sentence with a yawn.

"Okay." he said, watching her stand up from the table and soon after entering her room. When he heard the shower head come on, he reached into his back pocket.

_He watched Lois and Chloe saying goodbye_ _when Jimmy called him over._

"_Psst! CK!" he called out in a hush tone. _

_Clark turned around, and walked to the nervous young man._

"_What?"_

"_Here. Give this to Lois," he said, his hands shaking."I can't do it, man. She's scary." Jimmy said, handing him what looked like a small sheet of paper. He held it in his hands. Once getting a better look at it, he saw it wasn't paper after all, It was a picture. To be exact, the picture that Jimmy took when he and Chloe walked in on Lois and himself playing Strip Poker. He didn't have much time to contemplate it because he noticed Jimmy eyes open wide when Lois began to walk towards them. He shoved the picture in his back pocket, waiting for her to speak up. _

"_Ahem." Lois said, tapping his shoulder. He and Jimmy stood there in silence._

"_Here are the keys to my Volvo." Jimmy said, quickly changing the subject onto something less possible to __receive strangulation from Lois Lane. _

_He was a smart kid._

He wouldn't admit it to Jimmy, but he was scared of Lois too. Just, not in the same way. He wasn't afraid of her beating him up to a pulp, or her yelling.. but when he was around her he felt scared, nervous, a bit fidgety. And when she would teasingly flirt with him, it was like a blow in the stomach. He couldn't explain it. He sighed, and looked down the picture in his hands.

When he saw Jimmy at the door, camera in hand, he thought the picture he snapped would be somewhat funny. But it wasn't. It actually looked like a professional Ad for a magazine. He looked at himself. He was so calm and controlled, laying on his back on the bed, his toned upper body exposed. And Lois. Lois looked beautiful and graceful in her black underwear set, sitting on him, her arms on either side of his head. Her dark chocolate hair looked soft and shiny, the way that it was. He remembered smoothed out her hair in the car. It felt like butter, an smelled good too. Like an indescribable sweet sensual scent. Intoxicating.

He couldn't give her the picture either. Maybe he didn't want to... He slid the photo under the couch cushions, hiding it from curious hazel eyes.

He sat on the couch, waiting for Lois to finish her shower. But, as the minutes passed, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and eventually, they closed shut.

_**To be continued...**_

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay here's a new chapter, let me know what you think. Again, if there are things you want to see, or that you read in previous chapters that you want to make sure I don't forget to bring back up **-takes a breath-** then tell me. -smile- Oh yeah, thanks again for all the reviews- I wuv you all!


	10. Dawn

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple that is! Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Nine:**

**DAWN**

* * *

dawn:

_-noun_

1. To begin to appear or develop; emerge.

2. To begin to be perceived or understood.

* * *

"_Once we walk through that door, we're not Clark Kent and Lois Lane."_

Lois stared at the drain, watching the soap sud-mixed water swirling down into the sewer. She hoped if she stared at it long enough, she would slip through as well. She viciously wiped her face with her palms, ridding of the excess water from her cheeks.

"_We're Tod and Erin, married, and in love. ...It's going to be weird and hard, but its just going to have to be."_

She didn't know why, but Clark's words scared the living lights out of her. Just thinking about it made her feel panicky, and if she wasn't showering at the moment, she was sure she would be sweaty too. But what scared her the most, was a small little fact:

That she was even scared at all.

* * *

"_How many times have you been there when I didn't know it, saving me?" He turned around, he knew that voice. He stood in the fortress, watching... himself and Lana? _

"_It doesn't matter, Lana. I couldn't let anything happen to you." They were standing by the edge of an ice cliff, staring at large crystals before them._

"_And no one knew." 'I remember this... am I dreaming?'_

"_There were so many days I wanted to tell you." A small frown played on his face, it was the day Lana's life was exchanged for his father's. In Lana's eyes, none of what he was reliving, happened._

"_What makes today any different?" He watched her chestnut brown eyes look up at himself. He watched the pair before him. Things were so, so, different now. _

"_I want you to know who I really am..." He held out a piece of coal in his palm, to which she looked up at him confused. An orange glow radiated from his now closed fist. He opened his hand, revealing a heap of dust. Still confused, he blew the gray particles away, leaving a small diamond in the center, glistening with the iridescent white lights. With a look of conviction, he held out a gold band, and placed the diamond atop it, welding both pieces together with his heat vision. He got down on one knee, looking longingly into her eyes. _

"_Will you marry me?" At that moment he had given her time for an answer, but later that day she had accepted his proposal. He was the happiest man in the galaxy, perhaps even the next. He shook his head, knowing now that she sported a different ring nowadays. Lex Luthor's. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the images._

_'Lana is your past,'_

_It was true, he **had** to move on. He felt his chest tighten... only, he wasn't causing it. He popped his sea green eyes open, to find Lois looking up at him, a handful of his shirt in her grasp._

"_I'm your future." He looked around. They were in Lex's dining room, only to find the situation a little differently than he remembered. No Engagement Party guests, nor were there shard of glass across the floor from having tossed Lex to a side. No, it was just them. _

_Alone._

"_This is the present." he said, surprised at his answer. Unlike the first time, his answer wasn't meant to offend her, or throw her off... it was like a statement of reassurance._

_The lack of a crashed party wasn't the only difference from before. Lois... Lois didn't look quite the same either. He remembered her wearing a ridiculous black ensemble, her bright red lips drenched in lip gloss, and her long golden-brown locks in tight curls. But what he most vividly remembered, was how love-drunk she looked. But not this time. _

_It was different. _

_He stared into her hazel orbs, unmistakably filled with her signature Lane conviction. Seeing her dark brown fringe brushing against her extensive dark lashes seriously tempted him to brush her hair to a side, which he did, gladly. His fingers rested just above her ear after tucking her the strands behind it. The Lois from last year's Valentine's Day would've melted over him, or planted a kiss on his lips for doing something so personal. But not this Lois, she looked almost confused by his action. Noticing that she still held a tight hold of his shirt, she let go. She wrapped her arms around herself, a look of insecureness painted on her visage. _

_She walked away from him, giving him a clear view of her figure. She was wearing what she wore when he last saw her. Pink flip-flops, frilly white top, and denim Bermuda shorts. Her dark hair pinned back. Why were the memories in his dream all mixed up? He shook his head and walked over to her._

"_Why did you do that?" she asked, not looking at him in the eyes. _

_Not knowing what to say, he answered with another question."Well... why were you grabbing my shirt and referring yourself as my future?" he said, a slight sarcastic tone in his voice, but nonetheless expectant of a straight answer._

"_Because that's what I did last time," she started, and seemed to debate whether to complete her thought. "But **you** didn't do what you did last time. You were suppose to choose Lana. You were supposed to leave me. Reject me. Why didn't you walk away?"_

_He processed her question. Why did he? He wasn't on Red Kryptonite... He shook his head. He didn't know. Maybe because Lana not being there didn't make her an option? Or maybe it was because all he could see was Lois, all he could think about was... Lois. His eyes widened. Where did that come from? Was that true? Outside of the dream, as well?_

"_Because you are the only one," he looked up at her. "--here, I mean."_

_She nodded silently, understanding that. The fact that she didn't fight back to correct him turned his stomach. She was suppose to point out that he was lying, she was supposed to see that he... really **did...** want her? Did he? He looked at her, and the urge he felt to hold her and kiss her insecurities away answered that question. I guess you could say he did. _

"_Do you really believe that?" he asked softly grabbing her arm, turning her to face him. Her head hung low, her eyes hidden in shadows. She refused to look at him. He didn't know how to deal with this side of Lois. He cupped her chin, bringing her head up to face him. Her vision reluctantly aligned with his. _

"_You said it, so it must be the truth." she whispered, her voice slightly cracking. _

_Where was the Lois he knew that fought her way to the truth? Did he do that to her, make her act like, well.. fragile?_

_He sighed. "You know me enough to know that I don't always say what I mean. But, since this time you're not willing to decipher my words, I'll be frank with you." That caught her attention._

"_The reason I didn't reject you had nothing to do with Lana. If she were here, I still would've stayed. To be honest, I'm glad she's not here, because I'm not sure I **want** Lana around." He thought that through. He didn't. What did that really mean? All he knew is that he liked the situation he found himself in. _

_Alone with Lois. _

"_Why are things different now?" she asked._

"_I don't know, but they just are." It was true, everything was different. "But I think I like the change..."_

_She saw the corners of her lips lift into a smile. Her hazel eyes glued themselves to his blue ones. His palms began to sweat when he noticed her take a step closer. "Clark, I think I should be frank with you too." she said, her body getting dangerously close to his. It was a dream, so it didn't matter if he wanted her to come even closer... right? _

"_Frank about what?" he asked, a faint smile tugging on his lips as he began to lean his face closer to hers._

"_I've wanted to do this," she darted her eyes up from his lips, a haze of lust embedded within her pupils, "at least, the right way, because well, there have been circumstances that weren't the best, I mean I was on Love Potion No. 9, and you were affected too and it just wasn't right, so-"_

"_Lois you're rambling again." he said, smiling._

_She caught herself. "What I'm trying to say is... that I've wanted this for a very long time." She grabbed his hands, and he noticed that she too was nervous. She closed her eyes, and he mirrored her action, as they found themselves being pulled in by the other. His lips lingered a hair away from hers, and in any second, the genuinely desired, and not to mention, **mutual** contact would take place. Except..._

"_Clark!" _

_His head snapped to his left, facing the source who called him, causing his nose to bump into Lois'. _

"_Ouch!" she said, stroking the bridge of her nose. She looked up at Clark, only to find him looking away. She slightly furrowed her eyebrows when following his gaze._

"_What are you doing?" asked Lana in a low whispery voice. She still had on her winter jacket and scarf from earlier on in his dream. Her peach-colored lips tightened, as she held back the tears that were forming in her eyes. _

_He looked at a scared Lois. She feared he would take back everything he had told her. He wouldn't._

"_Lana, we need to talk." Clark said, his hand still intertwined with Lois'. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. He felt her relax._

_Lana took a step closer, her long brunette hair hanging lifelessly around her thin, but beautiful face. A fire in her eyes began to blaze._

"_I come here to tell you that I want us to be together until death do us part," she said holding up her hand, the gold ring that he made her glistening in the chandelier light, "and I see you about to kiss **Lois**?!"_

_He felt it was the right time to tell her everything he had bottled inside, all the doubts that he knew were not a figment of his imagination._

"_Lana, you know we're not meant for each other. All these years, and we've always had rough patches, always had a hard time," he paused, she look taken aback, not comprehending him, at all. He continued anyway,"Those hard times were us trying to make something work, that was always destined to fail. Lana I did love you, but we just outgrew each other-"_

"_-No. **You** outgrew **me**! You're here with Lois, and I'm alone-- wanting to be with you."_

_But, she was with Lex. She **married** Lex. She** loved **Lex. She **chose** Lex over him. A part of him knew she, in fact, did want to be with him, even after all they had recently gone through, but he didn't want to be with her. Not anymore at least. She was right: he had outgrown his first love. _

"_Lana, I'm so sorry."_

_She smiled sadly at him, knowing there was no point in being angry. "I know you are. But I have a feeling you'll outgrow that feeling too. I wish there was something I could do to change your mind, but you can't choose those you love." she said, and wiped a single tear from her cheek, hoping no one noticed. She looked up at him."I only wish you had chosen me." She stepped closer to him and grabbed his hand, with one last look, she placed her engagement ring in his palm. _

"_Goodbye Clark." she said softly while he stared at the shiny ring. When he looked up, he found himself sitting on his couch in the barn's loft._

_Expecting to be alone as he spent many a night there, he was startled to find Lois sitting next to him. The same Lois from earlier. She had followed him in his dream and hadn't left him alone. _

"_I'm sorry about Lana." she said, still holding his hand between hers. _

"_It's okay. I always had a feeling that we weren't right for each other." he said and shrugged, "But a lot of times we ignore our true feelings." Perhaps that not only applied to Lana._

"_So, do you think you have enough?" she said, cheerfully changing the subject._

_He eyed her strangely. "Enough of what?"_

_She rolled her eyes. "Enough saved up." she said, matter-of-factly. He still wasn't catching on. "You know, to buy a Harley?" _

_He smiled, understanding her question. "I think I always put in extra money in my piggy bank..."_

_She scrunched up her nose. "Why?"_

"_Because I never really wanted a bike." he said, his head laying on the couch's head rest. He was content just staring at her. _

_She snuggled in his arms, her head resting on his chest. "Well, I hope you got exactly what you wanted."_

_He ran his fingers up her arm, breathing in her scent. "I got that and so much more." He closed his eyes, feeling a wave of calm come over him._

When he opened his eyes, he met Jimmy's shadowed TV in the darkness staring back at him. He automatically looked to his left. No Lois. When he felt his heart sink, he was sure of one thing, and one thing only:

He never wanted a Harley so much like he did now.

"That could only mean one thing..." he said aloud. When realization dawned him, he began to bang his head on the couch's armrest.

"Stupid, Stupid Stupid!" he said, his voice switching from being muffled from the couch and being perfectly clear. He heard the shower head turn off.

"Oh no."

He couldn't face Lois now- there was no way. He didn't know how to act around her now, not after realizing he had feelings for her. Ugh. Just saying that in his mind made him feel so much more stupid! How could he let himself have feelings for someone who would never return them?

Hearing the doorknob being turned, he closed his eyes, and pretended to be asleep. He heard the bathroom door close, followed by the sound of a humming Lois who walked around the master bedroom. He heard water drops crash onto the floor, possibly from her drenched hair. He could also hear he unzipping her suitcase, and shortly after the sounds of a brush running through her hair. He tried to tune her sounds out, because it really wasn't doing him all that well. But he couldn't, he found it somewhat addicting. She set her brush down on what he assumed was the night table. And then it came. The sound of her damp towel falling down to her feet. He felt a flashback of a wet and nude Lois ready to attack him with a back massager come to mind. He was going to go crazy. He covered his ears with his hands, hoping this would help, but surprise, surprise: it didn't.

A drawer opened and he heard rummaging. He knew what to expect next. The drawer closed and the sound of a possibly very sexy piece of underwear being slid up her legs filled his ears. The snap he heard when she accommodated the panties on her hips was enough to scar him for life. He bit his lip, frustrated (in more ways than others). He heard her buttoning up what he could imagine was her pajama top. But then she made a tying sound of sorts. A robe? Why wear a robe if she had already dressed herself? He was to busy to answer the question when he heard the door open and her footsteps coming closer. He tried to relax, and steady his breathing.

"Clark?" she said. Hearing her voice made his heart beat faster. So much for relaxing. "Did you fall asleep?" she asked and shortly after prodded his cheek with her finger. "My god, he better not get used to this." she said and slid off his glasses, setting them on the coffee table. He tried to not fidget when she slid off his sneakers and socks. Oh boy, why did he have to be such a coward? Pretending to be asleep because you don't want to see the face of the woman you just realized you had it bad for? Wasn't it worse to hear her undress, or better yet, hear and _feel_ her undress** you**?

She carefully slid his green T-shirt off his head. Maybe it was just him, but he sensed her a bit hesitant to put his shirt down.

"Oh lordy." he heard her say. Was was she going to do? Was she- oh no. She unbuttoned his jeans. He held his breath. She held his breath. The tension consumed them. He was so tempted to come clean, but she would be so angry at him for even letting her take his shirt off if she knew he was awake the whole time.

"Look at his face, Look at his face." she said. Thank god it was dark, because he could feel his cheeks on fire, possibly shining brighter than his infamous red jacket.

In one swift moment, she slid his jeans off his legs and set them down. She scurried away and shortly after came back. He was, to say the least, startled when he felt her hands on his chest, except he then realized she was setting him in a sleeping position. Once laid horizontally on the couch, he felt a familiar warmth envelop his skin. One he felt the night before. When taking in a whiff, he recognized the scent of Lois' car. His red blanket. Great, now he wouldn't be able to sleep. After dreaming about her, hearing her, touching her, and now- smelling her, there was no way he would get any shut eye.

He heard her sigh. "Sweet Dreams, Smallville." If only she knew just how sweet dreams could be, so sweet, perhaps he'd turn diabetic tonight. And then she did something unexpected. She stroked his forehead, pushing his hair back. There was no way he could not have reacted to that. He pressed his face deeper into her palm, moaning softly. He then settled back to his normal sleeping position. Her breath hitched in her throat, just before running away and shutting the bedroom door behind her shut, and locking it.

He opened his eyes, knowing he didn't need to worry about her coming back out. He stared at his clothes neatly folded on the coffee table before him. He turned his back to it, as if blaming them for all his problems. Damn that Lois Lane.

Damn her.

_**To be continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, sorry for the short chapter but, once again, I didn't want to extend this _too_ much, because then we'd forget about all the great things that just happened. So yeah, let me know what you think, and don't worry- Tod and Erin will be back next chapter, and I hope (stressing the hope here) that I will make you happy with them. So yeah, please let me know if there is something you want to see, or something I need to improve, if not everything, lol! Anyway, thanks again for all the reviews (wouldn't know what to do without them!!).


	11. Identify

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple, that is. Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

**Previously on Forged I.D.'s and I Do's:**

* * *

"_Once we walk through that door, we're not Clark Kent and Lois Lane-- We're Tod and Erin, married, and in love. ...It's going to be weird and hard, but its just going to have to be."_

* * *

**...Sometimes our Dreams can Reveal Our Darkest Secrets:**

* * *

_Lois stared at the shadowed figured that stood by the church doors. As she approached, it was none other than Smallville. He now stood before her, and in one swift moment, held her in his strong arms._

_'I've got you.' he said, licking his lips as his face approached hers._

"_I've wanted to do this, for a very long time." Lois said, grabbing Clark's hands. He leaned in closer, as did she. Suddenly a a shout was heard._

"_Clark!" At the door, Lana looked on as Clark and Lois broke away from their compromising position._

"_Lana, we need to talk--"_

_She shook her head. "--I come here to tell you that I want us to be together until death do us part, and I see you about to kiss **Lois**?!"_

"_**You** outgrew **me**! You're here with Lois, and I'm alone-- wanting to be with you."_

"_Lana, I'm so sorry."_

"_I think I always put in extra money in my piggy bank..."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because I never really wanted a bike."_

* * *

**And Other Times, Reality does it All on Its Own...**

* * *

_Clark awoke from his dream, realization hitting him upside the head. He heard her buttoning up what he could imagine was her pajama top. But then she made a tying sound of sorts. A robe? Why wear a robe if she had already dressed herself? He was to busy to answer the question when he heard the door open and her footsteps coming closer. He tried to relax, and steady his breathing., he began to panic,not knowing how to act around her now. _

_Now that he knew he had feeling for Lois._

* * *

"_Sweet Dreams, Smallville." She said then stroked his forehead, pushing his hair back. There was no way he could not have reacted to that. He pressed his face deeper into her palm, moaning softly._

_Her breath hitched in her throat, just before running away and shutting the bedroom door behind her, and locking it. _

_Damn that Lois Lane._

_Damn her._

* * *

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

by Chinita92

**Chapter Ten:**

**IDENTIFY**

* * *

identify – ahy-**den**-t_uh_-fahy:

_-verb_

1. to recognize or establish as being a particular person or thing; verify the identity of

2. to associate in name, feeling, interest, action, etc.

* * *

Lois stared at her pale fingertips, cursing them for seemingly having a mind of their own. What if he had woken up, finding her hovering over him, fingers practically through his hair-- and not to mention shortly after undressing him? She shook her head-- that wasn't even the point. Why had she been compelled to caress his face in the first place? She sighed and opening up her robe, exposing one of Clark's plaid shirts beneath. She snorted bitterly. All her decisions pointed to one answer-- that answer being wrong.

"So wrong." she said, almost in a brain-washed tone. She held her throbbing head, repeating over and over again that sleep was the remedy to all her jacked up thoughts.

"It was the only thing that was clean." she said under her breath when angrily fluffing up her pillow. Stripping the comforter away from Jimmy's mattress, she slid off her bunny slippers and hopped into bed. Once finding a comfortable position, she stared at the poorly lit popcorn ceiling above her, dreading the next day.

"Tomorrow, Tomorrow I can't stand you tomorrow, --damn-- its only a freaking day away!" After a bitter remake of Orphan Annie's musical number, she let out another sigh and faced the night table to her left. She slid a rectangular plastic object off the surface of the table, bringing it closer to her.

"Erin Durling-Wellance." she softly spoke aloud when running her eyes over her forged Identification Card. "Age: 23, Sex: Female, Marital Status: Married."

**Married. **Her mother immediately came to mind. What would she think of something like this? Taunting the sacredness of marriage? She really didn't have a choice-- _anymore_. If she did, she wouldn't be married to Smallville, at least pretending to be.

**Pretend.** She had forgotten about that word... Hearing it again brought a certain reassurance to her, the reminder of the unrealistic aspect of it all. None of the recent events would never EVER happen unless under the extreme and really strange circumstances she found herself in. Meaning the stomach fluttering, mindless forehead caressing, subconscious plaid shirt wearing, fear of convincing Simon and the half naked farm boy on her cousin's boyfriend's couch were simply product of a situation that would never occur in a million years-- if not for her bad luck. So once it was all over, the weird feelings would go along with it too? Yes. That's what it was. "My hard drive is simply confusing this all with the real thing." She patted her chest, right above her heart. "Well its not, buddy. Got it?" she sighed, happily this time. "Glad we got that sorted out." And with that, she turned over and switched off the lamp, a wide smile of satisfaction smeared on her face as she dozed off to sleep.

* * *

"Lois." Clark said, followed by a groan. All he could hear was the faucet running and very convenient radio hosts laughing up a storm in the background.

"Lo-_is_!!" he said again, banging on the bathroom door this time.

She finally answered. "What?! Isn't there a planter out there you could pee in or something?"

He caught himself scanning the room out of desperation, that is, until he realized there was no need for such drastic measures. "Lois, hurry up would you?"

"Never rush a girl, Smallville." he heard her high-pitched voice through the door. He swore he could almost see her mischievous smile through the thick wood that separated him and her.

He shook his head in frustration, making his way to Jimmy's (or now Lois') unmade bed. He sat down, the springs screeching under his weight. Maybe he wasn't that disappointed about Lois not coming out of the bathroom... Maybe he wasn't ready to see her yet-- not after the revelation he had the night before. When he awoke that morning he felt a momentary glimmer of hope when he felt no rapid heartbeats or sweaty palms. That was until he got an earful of Lois humming in the bathroom.

It all sort of felt like the morning after, really. But to his surprise Lois was her usual snarky self, which was relieving to some extent. But then that meant that their little moment had no effect on her- not that it surprised him... Lois could never see him as anything but Clark ''Yes Ma and Yes Pa'' Kent, even with the knowledge of his powers. He always feared people close to him would see him differently when finding out about his secret, so the fact that Lois saw him exactly the same should have made him happy, right?

"Be careful there Ghandi, if you concentrate too much on that spot on the carpet you might just catch our neighbors downstairs doing the horizontal limbo. We wouldn't want those baby blues scarred for life, now would we?" Lois said, arms crossed as she stood by the bathroom door, already dressed for the day.

He looked up, just about ready to come up with some retort, when a bullfrog decided to move in the Timeshare that was his throat.

"Huh?" Lois asked, scrunching up her nose at his cracked and incoherent syllable.

He had a theory that if he gave Lois a sack of potatoes to wear she would would still look sexy, wait-- that wouldn't be so bad... Gutter-Alert! He shook his head. She looked great wearing that deep plum summer dress, the jersey kind that clings on every curve and falls just above the knee. And the tasteful cleavage she sported didn't hurt either. Her hair was brushed slick back in a French braid, her make-up consisting of lilac eyeshadow, black mascara and tinted lip balm.

He cleared his throat, surprised at the effect Lois caused him.. He was never suave with the ladies like Lex or Oliver was, but he was never this pathetic pile of mush.

She snapped her fingers in front of his face, her hand gesture causing the air to circulate around her scented wrist, making the smell of her perfume linger in the air. He immediately looked up at her, a strange smile tugging at her lips. "What?" she said. He stood up from the bed, standing closer to her than he expected. She awkwardly swallowed. He smiled at her and she smiled at him, her moist lips reeling him in. If only, he could... taste them, he thought, nearing her face. "Ugh... Smallville?"

"Smallville!!" she yelled out, waving her hands before his face. "Would you get up from the bed already?! I thought you needed to 'relieve' yourself? Or do you just enjoy rushing me out of the bathroom?" Lois said, her hands on her hips. He looked around. His vivid imagination had gotten the best of him. He awkwardly stood up from the bed, _for real_ this time.

"You okay Smallville?" Lois asked, once noticing the seriousness etched in his features when he solemnly walked towards the restroom.

He turned around, surprised at being exposed to a rarely seen layer of Lois' personality: Caring. "Just peachy," he lied through a tight-lipped grin. She furrowed her eyebrows as he shut the door closed. She shook the strange feeling that set in her stomach, or at least tried to. She grabbed her fake ID and stared at it, repeating the word Pretend as she read over it again. Once acquiring her happy place, she set the ID on the table and faced the bed, cocking her head to the side, deciding if she wanted to make it or not.

"Meh. It could wait." she said, and began to walk out of the room, but not before reversing her steps to the table, swiping the card off its surface and placing it in her pocket. Something told her she would be needing to look at it more often than she hoped for.

* * *

Clark scrubbed his face with his palms, trying to temporarily forget that Lois was in the next room. Drops of water rolled down the tip of his nose and chin when lowering his head under the shower head. You know the worst part of it all was knowing what it felt like to hold her, kiss her, smell her. I guess you could say he was a bit masochist, because he enjoyed the pain that was Lois, the teasing, the sarcasm... it just_ worked _for him. All those times he was annoyed at her for it... deep down he might have just been frustrated with himself for enjoying it. The same frustration he felt for letting this massive crush develop to its full potential. He turned off the water, grabbing a a white towel that hung on the wall. He wrapped it around his waist, and snatched yet another towel for tossing the excess water out of his hair..

* * *

Lois leaned against the kitchen counter while glumly holding a large bowl, drowning her Cap'n Crunch in milk with a large spoon.

"Lois!" she heard Clark call to her.

"Yes hun?" Lois replied sadistically.

Silence. A cough. "Um, could you hand me some clothes please?"

She brought her spoon up to her mouth. "Eating, sorry." she said and took a bite.

"Please?"

She snorted. "Come on Clarkie, its not like I haven't seen you in a towel before!" she called out, her mouth full.

"It's not that hard, Lois. Just grab it, come here, and you're done. Please?"

"Still Eating!"

He sighed. "Next time you need a favor," he said, walking out of Lois' room holding his towel securely at his hip, "don't ask me."

A loud clunk was heard when Lois' spoon dropped unceremoniously in her bowl. She began to cough, trying to tear her eyes away from Clark. Last time she saw him in a towel... he was... well, in high school. But man, kids sure do grow up fast, she thought, while slightly fanning her face with the cereal box. His toned upper body glistened with stray water droplets, a few occasionally rippling down his abdomen. His pectoral muscles looked tighter and had grown exponentially in size.-- and his biceps? She shivered. Delicious. Lois gulped, not realizing that she still hadn't swallowed her cereal.

"Have you seen my sneakers?" he asked, throwing a pair of dark wash jeans and a gray T-shirt over his shoulder.

"Uh... no." she said, focusing intently at a cracked tile on Jimmy's back splash.

"Hmmm..." he said, and scratched his damp hair, making it even messier than before. She looked over, deciding if she should go help him, when she caught sight of him bending over, rummaging on the floor of the closet.

"I- um..." she set her bowl on the counter, and dug both hands in her dress' pocket, hastily digging for her object of desire. "C'mon, C'mon..." she said, looking at Clark, to her pocket, Clark, pocket, Clark. _'Hurry!'_

"A-ha!" she said, holding her I.D. up to her direct line of vision.

"Pretend." she stated clearly and smiled, soon for it to fade She flicked the plastic with her finger, "I said 'Pretend', damn it!" She shook the I.D., as if hoping for the magical power that it held the night before to resurface. She nervously looked at Clark who approached her... with one last attempt she laid it on the counter, both of her hands beside it.

"Pret-"

"Lois, does this match?" Clark said holding up a pair of dark brown sneakers beside his gray shirt.

Lois kept her eyes glued to the I.D. on the counter while speaking. "Uhh.. Yes?"

Clark cocked an eyebrow. "Lois you didn't even look." he said, swinging his head to one side.

It was true, the poor guy could have held up a blue shoe with an orange shirt and she still would've said yes, anything to get him out of her side, really-- and most importantly: fully clothed.

"Yeah well, I'm busy." she said, trying to shoo him away. He grabbed her arm and softly forced her to face him. He set his shoes on the counter.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, pressing his hand up against her forehead. She glared up at his fingers and back at him, her hand swatting his away from her. "What was it you said? Oh right! 'Just Peachy'?" she said, baring her teeth at him displeasingly.

"Did I do something to you?" he asked, a genuine fear flashing his eyes. Seeing this made her feel guilty. She sighed. "No, you didn't, Clark." she said softly and smiled wholeheartedly. Her eyes rolled over to his shoes and grabbed them. "Although you might want to try black instead." she said and shoved them playfully at his bare chest.

"Thanks, but um.. can I change in your room?" he asked, smiling.

She nodded enthusiastically, thankful that the man would finally get some clothes on. As he gathered his clothes, Lois grabbed hold of a small kitchen towel and twirled it, slapping his butt as he turned away from her.

"Hey!" Clark cried out, surprised at her action.

She bit her lip, fighting back the chuckles. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it!"

He looked at her playfully, shaking his head. "Don't complain when I return the favor." he threatened just before closing the door of her bedroom.

She smiled at herself, once alone. "I'll take you up on that." she said, grabbing her bowl and dropping it in the sink. After rinsing the it out and sticking it in the dishwasher, she took notice of her cold, plastic I.D. on the damp counter. "You suck, you know that?" she said, giving it a nasty once-over. "_You_ are going back in _here_." she said, grabbing it and shoving it in her pocket again.

She sighed, finding herself nothing else to do. "Clark, are you going to eat anything?" she called out when making her way into the living room. She plopped down on the couch, stroking the armrests while waiting for him to answer.

"Uh..." he began but trailed off.

"Uhhh, what?" she said, mimicking his deep voice. "Yes or No? I still need my coffee fix which I'll get on the way over to wherever it is we're going. Speaking of which, what's the plan?" she said, sloppily switching subjects.

He opened the door, rolling down the bottom hem of his shirt over his ribs. She blinked rapidly, not expecting another shot of Clark's chest again. "Well?" she said, grinning like an idiot.

"I guess trying to find Simon and convincing him, that we're.."

She gestured for him to continue.

He looked down, causing his now placed glasses to slightly slide. "...in love."

"-Married." she corrected.

"Lois, its the same thing." he said, shaking his head..

"Eh, whatever." She stood up from the couch, and grabbed her bag that hung on the coat rack. "And after we 'convince'? How do we know its safe for us to go home?" she asked, not sure how she felt about the idea of going back so soon.

"I guess until I figure out how to get him under custody of the authorities without any of us getting hurt." he said and shrugged.

"Sounds reasonable enough.." she said and headed for the door, "for a farm boy that is."

"You thought this farm boy was more than enough last Valentine's Day..." Clark mumbled to himself.

"Did you say something Smallville?" she turned around and asked, her eyes bright and expectant.

"Nope. Nothing."

She nodded, hoping he would have something to say, for she was stalling the 'getting out of the apartment' part.

"You sure?"

He blinked, slightly amused at the obvious. "Yes, Lois, I am. Do you want me to open the door for you?"

"Aw, how chivalrous of you Kent, but I can get it myself." she said, raising her eyebrows at him. She pushed her shoulders back, and flipped her hair off the shoulder, hitting Clark in the face. She turned around in mock-shock. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Did I get you?" she asked, playfully stroking his cheek.

"You know what, Lois, you did. But there_ is_ something that you didn't do.." Clark said enigmatically.

"What's that?" she asked, distracted.

"This." And with that Clark Kent unlocked and opened the door, stepping out onto the hallway, seizing to exist. He was Tod Wellance now. "Come on, Erin. You and I have things to do."

Lois inhaled and exhaled nervously. She winced as she slowly began inching her way out of the apartment, holding onto the door frame. Clark rolled his eyes, a smile forming.

"Any day now..." he said, glancing at his watch.

"I'm getting there! Cool your jets Speedy!" she said defensively.

"You know if I didn't know you any better, I would say that you're scared."

"Pfft." she said, a look of disbelief on her face. "And what is it that I could _possibly_ be scared of?"

"I don't know..." he said childishly, his face turning a bit more serious in a matter of seconds. "Look, don't think I don't feel weird and a strange knowing that we're going to have to be all love-y dove-y as of now, but you know it's for your own good, right?" he said, tossing her a reassuring smile.

She hesitantly made eye contact with him, lifting one corner of her mouth glumly. "Yeah."

"Good. Now come with me, let us be brave together." he said in the most cheesiest of ways. She looked at him with a flabbergasted expression. "You did _not _just go there."

"Yes I did... anything to make you smile."

Hearing those words brought chills up her spine. No one ever said something like that to her, and he wasn't even trying to impress her... He really... _meant it_..

He held out a hand, smiling sheepishly as a blush crept up his cheeks. Without hesitance she slid her fingers over his palm, finally stepping onto the hallway beside him. As he locked the door with his free hand, she could not stop gazing at their clasped hands. And the best part was... that she didn't even feel the slightest urge to fish out her I.D.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay... kill me, another short chapter... but I really liked how it ended there and I wanted that to be the last thing on your mind when reading. I swear next chapter will get to the good stuff, okay?

* * *


	12. Feel

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple, that is. Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Ten:**

**FEEL**

**

* * *

**feel:

_-verb_

1.to feel or examine through physical contact

2. think or believe

3. be conscious of

* * *

"You know, I'm getting the slight impression that you like this whole 'holding hands thing'." Lois teased Clark as they reached a small corner cafe.

"What would make you think _that_?" Clark asked nervously, averting his gaze away from Lois' hazel eyes. If anything, he enjoyed _too much_ the feel of her small soft hands fitting into his large ones as they walked around Metropolis.

"Relax Sweetie, I'm just messing with you." Lois said, a Cheshire smile forming on her tanned face. As they walked in, her eyes followed a random stranger that past them, this causing her to sigh in relief. "This," she began and then lowered her voice to barely a whisper, "pretending to be your wife is..." Another pedestrian walked towards them. She grunted. "Oh crud, never mind... I can't even--"

"Get a word in?" Clark said, finishing her thought.

She widened her eyes and nodded viciously. "Well I'm sorry you're not liking this whole 'limited speech' thing, because I know I am lov-_ing_ it." Clark said, lying through his teeth. They sat themselves at a table by the window, hoping to spot Simon in the area.

"You say that now, Sma-" Lois stopped herself from completing her statement. Calling him 'Smallville' was second nature to her, meaning that she now had to fight against the urge. They couldn't even have a regular conversation. Instead, It was substituted with sickly sweet -fake- talk.

Pretend.

How she now detested the word. She would give anything to have a normal conversation with Clark, or anyone really. It was all 'Honey this' and 'Baby that'. Just thinking about the hypocrisy made her stomach threaten to bring her Cap'n Crunch back up.

"You okay?" Clark asked her, releasing his hand from their hold and bringing it up to her arm. Her eyes followed his move, to which she quickly tore from, letting her gaze sit on her fingertips that laid on the cold glass tabletop.

"Yeah, why?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows, confused about more things than she should have been.

"You swallowed hard and your heart started to beat faster-"

Her jaw slightly dropped at the reminder that he could hear her every whisper, movement, and breath . To be honest, she found it a little unsettling, and Clark read the expression off her face perfectly.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it."

"Its okay." Lois said, ending the subject abruptly. She set her eyes on the menu before her, feeling a twitch on her lower eyelid. Her body was desperate for caffeine. A unoccupied waitress past them, making her call for her attention. The young blond turned around, an irritated expression on her features. She began mumbling swear words under her breath as she walked over to the table.

"Yes?" she asked avoiding eye contact with the pair seated before her. She clicked her pen open, waiting for their order.

"Uh, excuse my wife, she hasn't had her coffee yet, _that _and the fact that it's still early don't mix well." She looked up from her blank pad to meet Clark perfect features. She blinked several times, a sensual smile forming before her.

"_So_, what is it you desire?" she asked suggestively, biting the corner of her lip flirtatiously. Lois watched Clark giggle uncontrollably, completely ignoring her existence. Lois rolled her eyes. What did she see in him? He was nothing special. _In fact_, there were a lot of unattractive things about him. For example, his eyes were too blue. She sighed. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. _But-_ his nose was way too.. too... pointy? _'Actually it looks good from here'_ a voice said in the back of her mind. '_There __**has**__ to be_ _something...' _She thought, stroking her chin. She glanced at his lips. She was smart enough to not even go there. _'Definitely nothing wrong in that department.'_ She was so busy scrutinizing Clark, desperately trying to find a flaw, that she didn't hear him call her.

"Erin!" She abandoned her train of thought, directing a blank stare at him. "What?"

"What do you want?" he said, an impatient look in his eyes.

"Oh- um, let's see..." she said taking a moment to recover. "I'll take a frapuccino with extra sugar, and extra creme. Could you bring some extra Sweet-N-Lows too?" Lois asked, knowing too well that places like this never added enough sugar for her taste.

The waitress jotted her order down with a a quizzical eyebrow. Her piercing honey eyes met Lois's for the first time, and Lois didn't like the once over she gave her. "Anything else..." she said audibly, then lowered her voice generously, "...like a cavity?" Lois looked at Clark with a look that said 'hold me back or I'll hurt her'. Clark's super hearing caught the waitresses zinger and it seemed Lois did too.

A heated Lois leaned in, about to whisper something to him, when she looked up at the specimen. "You can go now." Lois said, a smile so forged and sweet that could've possibly given the waitress the cavity she had offered.

When the blond scurried away, Clark turned back to Lois. "Hey, calm down. It was just a joke, a little uncalled for but-"

"-Don't go there." she said fuming. She cracked her knuckles, feeling the need to hurt something. "I don't get why you're so upset about it..." Clark began.

"Upset? First of all she comes over cursing at us, and then on top of that, she storms over and totally ignores me and starts shamelessly flirting with_ you_ and-"

"She was _not_ flirting." Clark corrected her, letting a disbelieving laugh slip out. _'Wait.. Did I hear correctly?'_ "Even if she _was_..." he said, a sly smile smeared on his full lips, "what's it to _you_?"

She looked up at him, her face stoic. "Nothing."

"Someone's a little jealous..." Clark said, leaning back in his chair, a feeling of confidence waving over him.

"Jealous? Please! The day that I' m jealous of some sleazy waitress is the day that I'll bite my head off." Lois said, subconsciously rolling back her shoulders.

"So you're not jealous because you know she's no competition?" he asked, not thinking his words through.

She snorted. "So you're saying I have nothing to worry about?" He looked from the window and over to her, finding Lois sitting in her chair, long legs crossed, plum dress clinging at her tone thighs, its hem a foot away from her knees. She began to twirl the end of her French braid, expectant of Clark's answer.

"That's not what I meant..."

"Sure..." she said, grabbing her purse from the floor in search of her cellphone. She had declared the conversation over, shutting him out. Part of her anger was directed to him too- for he didn't have to go along and be so nice to the cheap hag.

"Here's your pancake and egg combo with orange juice." Lois looked up from her Text Message to see the cause of her bad mood. She grunted.

"Thank You ...?" Clark said, asking her name.

"Sara." the waitress said. "But you can call me Yours." she added, accompanying her words with a wink.

Clark tensed up, not enjoying the uncomfortable air. "And her coffee?" he asked, pointing to an irritable Lois.

"Oh right, I left it at the counter." Sara said and pranced away.

"Do you _see_? She deliberately forgot to bring my order because she's jealous that_ I _have the Wife status and that _you're_ taken!" she hissed behind a cupped palm.

"Well.. I'm not _really_ taken..." he said, his mouth full of pancakes.

She stared at him in awe. "You _can't_ be serious..." she looked over at Sara the Slut behind the counter. Sure she was pretty but... not good enough for Clark. Of course she couldn't let him know that. "Her? Even someone as dorky as you are can do better than..." Lois turned to see Sara pushing up her breasts and fluffing up her hair before a silver tray. "Better than that... Crap."

"Relax, I'm only kidding. Besides," he said looking out the window, "she's not my type."

Lois felt her stomach fill with a buzzing sensation. She folded a napkin on the table, dying to question him further... which she did. "Type? You have a... type?" she asked, seeming indifferent while folding a napkin several times over.

His eyes wandered over her face, taking in how beautiful Lois looked when she was lost in thought. The way her eyebrows furrowed, her lips slightly pouted and how her eyes became vacant. _'You're my type, and she's not __**You**__.' _he thought.

"Here's your coffee." Sara said, leaving her cup on the table. She smiled at Clark and slipped out a napkin, writing down what Lois could assume was her number. "Ahem." Lois coughed, tapping at her Styrofoam cup. Sara turned to face her, rolling her eyes. She dug in her apron pocket, her fist emerging with the object of Lois' desire. She released a vast amount of pink sugar packets from her grasp, causing them to messily cascade over the small glass table.

Lois began to gather the sugar packets in a neat pile, trying to contain herself, but had enough of it. She looked up at Sara, her lips thinning. "I don't like you._**Stop**_ flirting with my husband and _**start**_ doing your job right. Okay?"

Her skin paled to the shade of white paper. "I-I-I _am_ doing my job-" she began defensively.

"Oh sweetie, I worked in a coffee shop and that is _not_ how you deal with customers, even with the the annoying ones like me. When you don't like a customer you're supposed to suck it up, not try to steal their spouse." She turned to look at Clark. "I'll be in the car." She grabbed her purse and coffee and stood up, but not before returning awkwardly and stuffing Sweet-N-Lows into her purse. Clark heard the chimes of the main entrance sound sharply, letting him know Lois had walked out. Without hesitation, he stood up from his seat leaving behind the scrumptious plate of breakfast.

"Wait!" Sara called out to Clark. He turned around, feeling the urge to punch the bimbo himself.

"What?" he asked, sighing impatiently.

"Here's my number in case you get bored of that loud trap." she said grabbing his hand and crumpling the napkin over his palm. Clark shut his eyes, containing his anger.

"Believe me when I say that it will never happen." Clark said, letting the napkin drop to the floor. He turned around and began walking away when he heard her call out to him.

"You mean you're never going to get bored of her or we'll never happen?" she asked, just as he grabbed the door.

He turned to her, his blue eyes cold as ice. "Neither."

* * *

"Lois?" Clark asked in a low voice as the Volvo halted at a red light.

"What?" she asked, looking out the window, the Sun's rays turning her hazel eyes into a bright shade of green.

"You haven't said anything since we left..."

"And?"

"Trust me when I say that it's not like you."

She sighed. "I'm just..." she said and stopped, waiting for a reason to come to her, "not in the mood for talking right now."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "But I thought you were dying to be alone so you could do just that, you know without the possibility of people hearing in."

She turned to him, her bottom lip a tad redder than her remembered. "I'm just tired, that's all." Lois lied and turned her back to him yet again. She continued to bite her lip, lost in thought.

"Um, Lois... I wanted to ask you something..."

Her eyes darted up from the car lock, staring into space. "Ask what?" She asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye, her back still facing him. She felt her pulse quicken as she waited for what seemed an eternity for him to speak up.

"Well..."

She turned hesistantly, catching him off guard. "Whatever it is, just... come out and say it." Lois said, sounding a lot more cooperative in the talking department.

"Well, you said Simon told you that he knows the Grocery Store like the back of his hand right?" he said, his eyes glued to the traffic before him. He turned to glance at her, noticing her smile falter a bit.

She felt his gaze on her, to which she looked up and smiled widely, exposing her pearly whites. "Um, yeah... he did say that."

"So I was thinking we should go, maybe if we're lucky we'll spot him there-"

"-and then do what?" Lois found herself suddenly so intrigued with the volume knob, that she didn't see Clark run his hand through his hair, a look of desperation on his face.

"I guess... its finally time to get into... um, Married-Mode."

She looked up at him, her lips slightly parted in fear. "And what exactly does 'Married-Mode' consist of...?"

He gulped, afraid of what his answer should be. "Um..."

"Um, what?" she asked, annoyed by his lack of coherence.

"Well..."

"Oh god." she said in a ominous tone.

"What?" Clark asked worriedly.

"Please tell me we don't have to..."

"What?" Clark asked, not sure of the idea Lois was trying to convey.

"You know..." she said motioning to her lips and his.

"Oh! You mean kiss?"

"Of course I mean kiss!"

"In that case, probably. Yeah." Clark said to which Lois shut her eyes, wishing he didn't just say what she heard.

"Gee, thanks Lois."

"Oh shut up." she said, putting up her wall. "Are you sure it's completely necessary?"

"Well, we want to convince him... don't we?"

"I guess... but..."

"Lois, do you think I _want _to kiss you?" It hurt Clark to lie to her, but it seemed it was the only way to make her want something. The General didn't want her to smoke, so she did. Chloe told her to back off from avenging Wes' death and she did. Maybe telling her that he didn't want to kiss her would make her want to. Maybe...

She faced him, trying to seem indifferent. "Well of course I don't _think_ you want to kiss me. Heck, I sure as hell don't want to kiss you_ either_." she said, refraining herself from adding a spiteful comment.

"Good." Clark said while awkwardly facing the road.

"Great."

The silence filled the small car as worry consumed them both. _'What will it be like?'_ Clark thought, feeling excited all of a sudden. Lois rubbed her temples, asking herself the same question, only she wasn't looking forward to finding out.

* * *

"Well we're here." Clark said as he parked the car.

Lois unfastened her seatbelt throwing him an arched eyebrow, "Thanks for stating the obvious." She said unlocking her door. She opened it and stepped out of the car, careful to not stand too close to the incoming traffic. She slammed the door closed, and leaned down, her head sticking into the open window of the car. "You coming Sweetheart?" she said and smiled, only for it to fade away seconds after.

"Should have kept my mouth shut." Clark said under his breath. He stared longingly at a pissed off Lois who stood by the store's entrance with crossed arms. She seemed almost mad at him for 'not wanting to kiss her'. He rolled up the windows and stepped out of the car, meeting Lois at the front door.

"Ready when you are." he said, holding out his hand. She looked down to his palm in distaste, for the last thing she wanted to do was make any physical contact with Clark. She slapped her hand on his, her fingertips resting on his warm skin.

"When we get to the apartment you can roll your eyes all you want, just suck it up and try to look _at least_ alittle attracted to me." he said, his jaw clenched in frustration.

"Well you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Lois spat. She eyed him in a challenging manner, as if daring him to answer her.

"My god, woman! Could you be any more annoying? You're as stubborn as a Pitbull on a pant leg. Just let go whatever negative feeling you have and play along, would you?" Clark said, almost pleading her.

"You're just like all of them," she said, shaking her head. "You're not a man, you're a dog- and in case you didn't know, they make me sick." She glared at him, a part of her angry at him and the other at herself. She felt so low, lying to Clark just to get the last word. Truth was, Clark was different. She'd never admit it to him, but he was the nicest, sweetest. Most genuine man she'd ever known. She rolled her eyes, hating herself for letting her pride get them this upset at each other. She eyed him hesitantly, and when she noticed his spirits crush at her remark, so did hers.

"Let's get this over with." he said, his eyes never meeting hers.

Lois simply nodded, following him quietly into the store. As they entered, they were greeted by a worker who handed them a flyer of coupons and special offers. Clark nodded him a thank you and began scanning the area for Simon.

"Any sign of him?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"Not yet." he said, kicking his X-Ray vision into gear, counting 13 skeletons inside the store.

They walked down several aisles, each one making Lois tense up. With every step and turn, she feared they would run into Simon. She didn't know why she felt afraid, for she was never one to be scared of trouble. She looked up to Clark who met her eyes, but quickly turned away. Lois sighed. She hated seeing Clark mad at her.

"Listen," Lois began, mustering up any ounce of humility inside her to work up an apology. "I didn't mean-"

"Shh." Clark said holding up a finger, causing this to cut Lois off. She furrowed her eyebrows, following his gaze. "What?"

"I hear someone, someone breathing." he said vaguely.

"Well there _is_ a slight possibility that it could be me.. I know I could be inhuman but I _do_ have lungs you know." Lois said, not knowing that Clark had tuned her out long ago.

"It's him." he said, finally facing her since they entered the store.

"How do you-?"

"He's standing at the end of the row, behind a shelf. I saw him."

"Oh my God." Lois said, starting to freak out. "What do we do?" she asked, a look of vulnerability pasted on her face.

He looked at his surroundings, thinking as quick as possible. If he took any longer in deciding his move, he'd get caught in the act. He stared deep into Lois' eyes, mustering up all the courage he had in him. He brought his hand up to her face, his hand sliding down to the back of her neck.

"Uhh, what are you doing?" Lois asked, staring accusingly at his outstretched arm.

"Kiss Me." Clark ordered, fighting to get the words out of his throat.

"Wha-"

"Kiss... Me." he whispered in the dead air.

"Oh god, you're seri-"

Clark took in a breath and bravely dove for her face, pressing his lips against Lois' parted mouth, shutting her up in mid-sentence. She found herself paralyzed, for she.. _Lois Lane_ was kissing.. Clark Kent?! She viciously shut her eyes closed in a wince. What was she to expect? He tightened his hold on her as if nudging her to respond, to breathe, to relax- anything to make the kiss credible. He tenderly kissed her upper lip, his face gravitating to the right where he then attempted to slide his tongue into her mouth, but Lois wasn't having it.

Honestly? She was too shocked of how her body tingled next to him, of how she really, _really_ liked his arms around her, his lips over hers, the musky scent that he wore, and more than anything.. the effect he was having on her. What was she supposed to do? If she _did_ kiss him back, would she go past the point of no return?

Clark put distance between them, letting his forehead rest on hers. "I'm asking you again, please just... kiss me."

She raised her hand up to his jaw, motioning his head away from hers. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see her face. He didn't want to see the repulsion in her eyes. "I'm sorry." she said, closing her own eyes in thought. He swallowed hard, her rejection affecting him morethan he thought it would. Although, he should have expected it, it was Lois after all. It seemed she interpreted his silence because she continued to speak. "I meant, I'm sorry... about the things I said earlier. I didn't mean any of it." He opened his eyes to meet her distraught face. She looked from the floor to him, shrugging. Clark seemed confused, a second ago he was sure Lois was pushing him away, was she now letting him in? "So, um this is me... apologizing." Taking in a deep breath, she tightened her hold on the side of his face and brought his lips down to hers. She pressed her lips against his, feeling his warmth surge through her. She softly brushed her lips against his again, waiting for him to react. It took him no less than a second to do so when he tenderly kissed the corner of her mouth, sliding his bottom lip between her own. Her body shook in his arms not knowing how to react to her emotions. He hugged her tighter, his left hand cupping the side of her face, the other on her lower back. Finally relaxing, she wrapped her arms around his neck, twirling his hair around her fingers. She softly sucked his top lip, her feelings pouring over him. Wait- Feelings? Lois tensed up at the thought, but soon found herself torn away from the idea. They found themselves lost in each other, discovering the other's weaknesses and strengths. But then, something happened. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open. She looked at her surroundings. Something was wrong. She slid a hand over his chest, tearing his lips away from hers. They stared at each other in silence, knowing that things would never be the same.

"Ahem."

Lois wrapped her arms around herself, reality biting her in the behind. She discretely made eye contact with Clark who looked down to her, a look of longing firmly planted in his eyes. She gulped, and turned to the man in front of her.

"Erin, you said?"

"Yeah." Lois answered, discarding a thought that had crept up to her a second ago. Instead, she focused on the matter at hand. "Um, this is my.. husband- Tod." Clark smiled awkwardly, his hand reaching for Lois' in the obscurity of her back. She shot him a pleading gaze that she quickly broke from. Lois brought both hands in font of her, leaving Clark's to hang lifelessly behind her.

"Nice to meet you Tod. Name's Simon. Simon Henkell."

Looking into Simon's piercing gray eyes, Lois suddenly didn't care about how awkward things had just become with Clark. She leaned in closer to him, openly lacing her fingers with his. The stranger before them watched Lois give Clark's hand an affectionate squeeze, causing her wedding ring to glisten under the light. Clark knew he shouldn't let their cover go to their heads, but it all felt so real. Was Lois feeling what he was feeling? His subtle stare panned up from her clasped hands, letting it rest on her face. And as the sight of Lois numbed his mind with thoughts of her, and only her- Clark had no doubt that he was in love...

...In love with his wife.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yeah, I took long. Life Sucks. So.. I don't feel very confident about this one... at all. Feedback appreciated. :]


	13. Mask

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple, that is. Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Twelve:**

MASK

* * *

Mask:

-noun

1. anything that disguises or conceals; disguise; pretending

* * *

Simon carefully watched the married couple's behavior. Were they in love? More important of a question... Had he been wrong? ...Was that _not_ his Louise?

"So I was driving down the road, the rain pouring out, when my car runs over a bunch of stray nails, causing my front tire to explode-"

"-To which the car went out of control and sped into a-" Clark began, only to get cut off.

"Cornfield!" Lois said, her words mirroring the way she _really_ met Clark in more ways than one. "I was lost and frustrated without a phone signal when a tall figure emerges from behind the crops."

"Crops? So... what are you, farmer or mechanic?" Simon asked, confused.

"Farmer?" Lois asked incredulously a nervous laughter escaping her throat. "Tod here is definitely _not_ a farmer." she coughed. "No way."

"Not that there is anything wrong with farmers..." Clark added defensively, throwing in a smile.

"Of course not." she said, resting her hand on his forearm. "But he _indeed_ is a mechanic."

"Oh?"

"He's great with very heavy machinery." Lois said, knowing very well Clark could not only work on heavy machinery, but lift it as well.

"So what happened?" Simon inquired, a darkness settling in his eyes.

"Well.." Lois began, waiting for the story to unfold miraculously when Clark intervened.

"I knocked on her window, and... offered to change her tire at no cost."

"I thought it was extremely sweet, I mean, who does that- for free?" Lois looked up at Clark, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Well, I'm sure you would have done the same for me." He gave a squeeze to Lois' hand, causing Lois to raise an eyebrow. The love and sincereness in his voice kept throwing her off. She shook her head, blinking rapidly- reminding herself that he was pretending, just like she was.

"Right?" Clark asked, breaking Lois away from her thoughts.

"Of course, hun- I mean who wouldn't do anything for this_ hot _piece of meat I have for a husband?" She said and snorted.

_'Hot?' _Clark made a mental note to further ask her about her choice of wording later, in the mean time he was busy grinning like an idiot.

"Meeting under such circumstances makes one wonder if your meeting was of pure coincidence." Simon asked mysteriously. Lois had never thought anything about the way she and Clark had met, but now that she knew all of Clark's past and the reason why he _really_ was in that cornfield- it made her question... was it casualty?

"I don't know- but what I _do _know is that meeting Erin was the best accident of my life... I've never been happier." He pulled Lois into a half hug, planting a kiss on her forehead. She looked up at him, a fragment of wonder wading in her eyes. Why did his words sound so real, and why was her stomach in a fit of knots? Without summoning it, a smile sprang to life as she rested her head on his chest.

"So we began to date shortly after, and we got married a year and a half later." Clark continued.

"When?" Simon asked.

"March." "December."

Simon raised an eyebrow at their unmatched answers, suddenly feeling he might not have been wrong at all.

"Well.." Lois began, knowing how to get out of their mishap. "We started to date in December, but I knew at the end of our first date- that he was the man I was going to marry. I always count from that moment on. I always knew, you know?"

"But we've been officially married since March." Clark added, giving Simon an assertive nod.

"And you are happy?"

Clark's head snapped in Lois' direction, expectant of her answer. She slowly began to nod, a grin curling her lips. "Yes."

"Well," Simon said, clenching his jaw, "it was nice to meet you. Sorry for my.. bad timing and confusing you with someone else. It's just that you remind me so much of my ex-wife."

"It's fine, happens all the time I guess." Lois brushed off the subject, and clasped her hands. "Well we'll be on our way, I'm suddenly in the mood for some shopping. What do you say babe?"

"Anything you want, sweetheart."

"I guess we'll be leaving then."

She took Clark's hand and they both began to walk away, but not before Lois took one last look behind.

Clark stopped in his tracks. "What is it?" He turned to face the direction of Lois' gaze. She stared at the spot where Simon had once stood.

"He's gone."

He ran his eyes over Lois' face, a mixture of relief and expectancy shading her features. "We should talk in the car. Come on, let's go."

Lois simply nodded and followed him out.

* * *

Simon stood in the shadowed alley beside the grocery store, taking the time to think. "I was wrong, it can't be her." he said, shaking his head. Would he ever find her? Find his wife? "I was almost sure she was the one this time..." He took out his wallet, finding inside a small picture. He held it between his thumb and index finger, running his finger over its surface. It was a picture of a young woman, with honey colored waves, and a smile that could knock a man dead in his tracks. He found himself lost- lost in her hazel eyes.

"I have to be sure."

Suddenly, a darkness consumed him, causing his flesh to slowlydissipate until nothing was visibly left but the grimy wall behind him. He took a silent step onto the sidewalk, standing a few feet ahead of a walking pedestrian.

"Yes, I'm turning the corner right now- yes, I'm getting the milk. Okay, see you at dinner. Love you." The stranger hung up his phone, clearly having many errands to take care of. He took quick steps to the entrance, reaching the door. Unbeknownst to him, he had just walkedthroughan invisible man.

A man with an image of a beautiful female that tormented his mind day and night. That woman?

Lois Lane.

* * *

"I think we should stay at Jimmy's apartment for a few more days, until we know the coast is clear."

"And how will we know after said 'days'?" Lois asked, sighing in frustration.

"I'll go to his warehouse, make sure your shrine is gone, and if it's replaced with someone else, we'll call the authorities to come get him. Sound reasonable?"

"As reasonable as you're going to sound." she said, looking out t he window of the car. Clark nodded silently.

"So '_hot'_?" Clark asked, referring to the adjective Lois used to describe him.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Used to convey an idea Smallville... don't let our cover get to you." Lois teased.

He shrugged her words off, "Yeah, same goes to you."

"Awesome."

Finding the awkward silence unbearable, Clark changed the subject, "So were you serious about the shopping, or you want to go back to Jimmy's?"

"Anywhere but Olsen's dingy apartment.." she said and shuddered.

"So where to?"

She stopped to think. "Well, there's a new store that opened up down the street that I wanted to go see, but lately it's been the Inquisitor-Talon-Inquisitor-Talon-The Farm-Talon-Inquisitor-Probably The Farm again-"

"-I get it. You've been busy."

"I sure have." Lois said, as Clark intently listened to her. "Well what are you waiting for? Get a move on it!"

-  
"I wonder how Lois and Clark are doing.." Jimmy said, stroking Chloe's hair, "do you think they've killed each other yet? Or better yet, maybe they've even you know _what_. I swear those two have always had a thing for each other... "

He sat at the couch, his feet propped up on Chloe's coffee table. "What do you think?"

"Mmm... dunno." said a half-asleep Chloe that sat curled in a ball, her head resting on his chest.

"Should I call to check up?"

Her answer was a shift of position. "Take that as a yes." He smiled, and slid his phone out of his pocket, careful to not wake his now sleeping girlfriend.

He dialed the number that he knew by heart, and waited for someone to pick up. After a few rings the answering machine came out.

* * *

"_**Hi, you've reached Tod and Erin's-**_

_Erin and Tod's-_

_**Sorry. -Ahem- Hi, you've reached 'Erin and Tod's' place-**_

_You didn't have to start all over again._

_**I'm sorry, I was just trying to please you, beautiful wife of mine.**_

_I'm well aware of that._

_**Anyway, leave a message and we'll-**_

_Sweetie, you are SO unoriginal..._

_**Well honey, what am I supposed to say?-**_

_I don't know, something quirky-_

_**Well it's an answering machine! You're supposed to say 'leave a message'!-**_

_I think I just heard a certain tone that I don't like..._

_**I'm sorry baby, what do you want?**_

_I can hear the annoyance in your voice,,, And I want something original, We're not an average boring couple you know, and I think our answering machine should reflect that-_

_**You want original? Well how much more original can you get? We have a message of us- arguing over a message! I think that reflects us PERFECTLY! Happy now? **_

_**-**_

_**Did you just punch me?-**_

_Yes._

_---BEEP!---_

"I think I'm afraid to leave a message..." Jimmy said into the receiver, laughing a little. "It's Jim- James, It's James.. from the... um, cable company! Just calling to see how you two- I mean your _service_ is holding up. Well, you have my number so call me back. " Jimmy closed his cell phone and sighed, a sinking sensation brewing in the pit of his stomach. Something told him he shouldn't have called after all...

* * *

"Oh, this is kind of nice." Lois said, picking up a tweed coat. She put the hanger up at her shoulders, and turned to a mirror before her. "What do you think?" Lois asked, excited.

Clark shoved his hands in his pockets awkwardly, causing Lois to raise an eyebrow.

"What."

"Nothing."

"Don't you 'nothing' me, I know you. Come on out and say it, your wifey can handle the truth you know."

He took in a breath. "I'm sure it will look nice on you." Clark said, smiling tight-lipped.

"Nu-uh." she said, walking up to him. Her finger pointed at him accusingly, "You haven't had a problem with being brutally honest with me all these years. Cough it up."

He sighed, rubbing his neck. "Well its _alright_, but it's just that you always wear jackets. It's kind of... old." Clark winced, ready for a punch, or worse- a comeback.

Lois eyed him, trying to seem indifferent. "Fine. What would _you_ want me to wear?"

Clark subconsciously grinned, his choice of clothing a little too... nonexistent. It seemed Lois sensed his mind in Gutter City, because she poked his ribs with the hanger.

"Snap out of it, mister- it ain't happening."

"What?" he asked defensively, unable to hide his toothy grin.

"You _know_ what! Now here, put this back and find me something to wear. Not many guys get this privilege, you know."

"Okay, I take it back, the jacket is perfect. You should get it-"

"NO! _You_ opened the can of worms. Pit bull on a pant leg, remember? I won't let this go. I want to see why your taste in fashion is _so_ much better than mine," she stepped closer, her lips brushing against his earlobe, "farmer."

Clark's breath hitched in his throat. He swallowed, fighting his words to come out. "You're serious?" He looked down, eying a stubborn Lois who had yet to bring reasonable distance between their bodies.

"Oh yeah."

"But-"

"-Whatever it is, I'll wear it." She walked away from Clark, now facing the mirror, "But please, don't waste my time with crazy stuff, or something skanky enough to be modeled on the cover of Maxim. Capiche?"

Lois saw Clark raise an eyebrow through the mirror's reflection. "Why so interested in my taste in clothes?" Clark asked, not understanding what was going through Lois' head.

She turned around and faced him, shrugging. "I don't. It's just a general guy's point of view. It's not like I specifically want to know what YOU like." Lois rolled her eyes at the thought of Clark's inflating ego. "Just... get a move on it, will ya?" She waved him off with her hand, sending him away to a jungle of clothing.

"Oh and try to not get too distracted!" Lois called out, her hand cupping the side of her face.

Clark stopped and turned around, "Get distracted with what?"

Lois let out a cocky laugh. "Well, Me, of course! Just remember you're trying to dress me- not _un_dress me. So don't return empty handed, okay?" Half way through her sentence Clark had walked away from her, shaking his head. To an onlooker, it would seem he was swinging his head from side to side in an amused manner- but on the contrary, Clark was, in fact, trying to get rid of the mental picture Lois burned in his mind. And the worse part of it all? That was exactly what Lois Lane had aimed for.

* * *

Clark ran a hand through his hair, not knowing where to start. He picked up a blue dress, filled with gold zippers. He grimaced at the thought of Lois wear anything remotely similar to it, and shoved it back.

"Why am I doing this again?" Clark thought, sliding articles of clothing down a metal rod. He was trying to guess what Lois would like, and truth be told: he wasn't 100% sure where her taste in clothes stood. Anything else about Lois he knew, really.

**Music?:** 80's Hair Bands (preferably Whitesnake)

**Food?:** His mom's cooking, and of course, coffee- with lots and lots of sugar.

**Movies?: **That one he had figured out on his own.... If you were to ask Lois she would say she's a die hard Horror Movie fan, and yeah she _likes _them- but she _loves_ the tear-jerkers- which sums up the woman. She swears she's all big and bad, but on the inside? She's a big fuzzy bear. Why it was her mission in life to be emotionless was beyond him. Maybe it was her childhood.. moving from city to city with a father who put his job before her and a mother who passed so early on in her life. Those kinds of things could really make you or beak you. He was glad he didn't have the ability to change her past. He wanted Lois to be happy, and maybe if she had a good child hood to remember, she'd be happier. But on the other hand... he loved Lois just the way she was. Maybe it was selfish of him, but he appreciated her feisty and abrasive ways. He came to the conclusion that she was just the kind of woman the doctor had prescribed him. They were opposite puzzle pieces that came together perfectly. He smiled at these thoughts. It really didn't matter what Lois wore- because he had fallen for her, and hard. If she wanted to wear the tweed jacket, then so be it.

_'Don't return empty handed.'_

He stopped, remembering her words. "Ugh." He rubbed his temples, trying to think a way he could get the clothes picking over with. As different excuses and theories swam around his mind, something hit him. Maybe picking out clothes for Lois wasn't so bad. Instead of trying to guess what she would approve of, he had the chance to see Lois in any choice of clothing he wanted. A smile tugged at his lips as he walked in a different direction.

* * *

Lois stood before a stall in the dressing room area, sliding open a curtain. She sat in a seat, her arms crossed. Glancing at her watch, she noticed 10 minutes had passed, and yet no sign of Clark. She took out her iPod, hoping to make the minutes pass by quicker.

_I don't wanna hear about it anymore  
It's a shame I've got to live without you anymore  
There's a fire in my heart  
A pounding in my brain  
It's driving me crazy_

Lois bit her lip as the image of a certain boy invaded her mind. Where was he anyway? _'You know where he is, dummy. Then why does it bother you that he's taking long? It's not like you miss him.' _She sighed. Maybe she _kind_ of missed him. It was only a few minutes, though... Was that even normal?  
_  
We don't need to talk about it anymore  
Yesterday's just a memory  
Can we close the door  
I just made one mistake  
I didn't know what to say when you called me baby_

She bitterly snorted, slightly relating to the song. It was always strange when Clark called her by loving nicknames- even if he was pretending.

Don't say goodnight  
Say you're gonna stay forever  
Oh oo Oh, all the way

Can you take me high enough  
To fly me over (fly me over) yesterday  
Can you take me high enough  
It's never over  
Yesterday's just a memory (yesterday's just a memory and)

I don't want to live without you anymore  
Can't you see I'm in misery  
And you know for sure  
I would live and die for you  
And I'd know just what to do when you call me baby

She'd have to disagree there. She wouldn't know what to do if she ever found out Clark meant the things he said to Simon about her. It's not like they were married and much less in love, so he couldn't feel or think that way about her. He just couldn't.

...Could he? She gulped. Or worse... could_ she_?

She held her head, feeling a pounding on her temple. As she sat, she felt a strange feeling.. as if she were being watched. She cautiously stood from her seat, stepping away from the stall. She grabbed an umbrella from a mannequin display and began to look around, facing in every direction. Stealthily, she glanced around for onlookers, but everything seemed normal. She leaned her head forward while hiding behind a wall, further looking for strange activity.

"What are you looking at?" Clark asked, whispering in her ear. Lois yelped and instinctively slammed the umbrella against Clark's shoulder, causing it's base to break. She glared at him menacingly.

"Don't EVER sneak up on me like that!" Lois fumed, getting angrier by the second when seeing Clark satisfied with her reaction.

"It was just a joke. I'm sorry I scared you." Clark said, yet to have gotten rid of his smug smile. "What were you looking for anyway?"

Lois stroked the ends of her braid, helping her relieve tension."Nothing. I probably just sensed your presence when you were planning your attack on me."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "I just got here a second ago and couldn't resist to scare you, but I wasn't here for longer than a few seconds... Do you think-"

"NO. It was just... my imagination! I probably wasn't too crazy about the surveillance cameras watching my every move." Lois said, excusing her behavior.

"So what was it with the umbrella?" he asked, picking up the broken object from the floor.

"Yeah about that... you should probably get rid of it, 'cause _technically_ YOU broke it. And when you break it-"

"-You bought it. Yeah, I'll get on it." Clark said, beginning to walk away.

"Hold your horses." she said, planting a hand at his chest. He stopped at her command.

"What's that you got there? Is that.. is that_ for me_?" Lois said, pretending to be surprised.

"Oh right. Here's my choice of clothing, as you wished."

Lois took the hanger from his fingers, inspecting the piece before her. "Awww, you shouldn't have! Hmm... I guess a girl always needs a little black dress, huh? Not bad. I'll go try it on."

"...And I'll go throw this away."

She eyed him, "You do that."

"Right, so um... this way."

She nodded, her eyes never leaving him as he walked past her. When he was out of view, she turned her attention to the dress in her hands. She smiled and walked into the dressing room she had briefly waited in before. She grabbed the curtain, getting ready to slide it, but not before looking both ways. When the coast seemed clear, she slid it closed and began to quietly undress.

* * *

"Lois, are you done?" The answer to his question was a loud screech from the curtain that Lois had yanked open.

"Yes I am Mr. Wellance." She sized Clark up, wanting to make him squirm when a white bag caught her attention. "What's that? Did you go shopping without me? I feel so betrayed!" Lois said, turning up the sarcasm dial. She leaned over, opening the bag, only to see the broken umbrella lying lifelessly amidst the cold plastic.

"You bought it?" she asked incredulously. She anticipated an answer, but none came. It was then she realized Clark had not spoken since she stepped out of the fitting room.

"Hello-o-o!" she said, waving a hand before his face. He jumped at her action, blinking rapidly in a fit of nerves.

Lois smiled smugly. "So how do I look?" she asked and undid the braid that had kept her hair neat. She gently tossed her hair with her fingers, causing her loose curls to fall beside her face.

Clark sighed as he took in the sight of Lois in the dress he had picked out for her. The moment he had spotted it, he knew it would look great on her. But Lois... she looked out of this world. The satiny black fabric hugged her every curve in all the right places while it's hem reached up to her knees with a small opening at the back. The strapless design of the dress conveniently exposed her shoulders and back. There was a little silver trim at the bottom of the dress and around the sweetheart neckline, giving it a unique touch.

"You look..."

Lois leaned her head in, reeling him to continue.

"You look..."

"Yes?"

He swallowed. "...breathtaking."

Lois was not expecting an honest answer and much less that specific one and thus, felt a flutter in her chest. "Thanks." She stood awkwardly, not knowing how to respond to Clark's intense gaze. "I should go change now." she said, pointing to the dressing room behind her. She turned around and marched into her changing quarters. Once inside, she began to furiously tug at her zipper as a flood of different emotions washed over her. Not succeeding in unzipping her dress, she stopped and leaned against a wall. She brought a hand up to her chest, shunning her heart for beating so quickly.

Suddenly, the curtain slid open, the sound causing Lois' head to snap in its direction. "What are you doing in here? I could have been changing." Lois said, avoiding Clark's piercing blue eyes. She crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.

"You okay?" he asked, now standing directly in front of her.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" she said in her defense.

"You're right..."

"What do you want?" she asked in a whisper.

Clark sighed, taking in a second to think. "Lois..." She locked eyes with him when he called her name. He took a step closer, slowly closing distance between them.

"What are you doing?" Lois whispered, finding it difficult to tear her eyes away from his luring lips that hung a few inches from her own.

"Lois- I think you know."

"No, I don't. What are you talking about?"

"I'm just going to come out and say it... Living with you has been a roller coaster, and there are times where I want to tape your mouth shut and roll my eyes to no extent,"

Lois squinted her eyes, unsure of what has happening. "Clark where are you trying to go with this?" He nodded, continuing, "but most of the time... I think I have these feelings,"

Lois held up a hand. "Stop."

"What?" Clark asked, shocked.

She shook her head violently. "Please, don't finish." She was pleading for him to keep her in the dark, even if it went against her innate curiosity. She couldn't take it anymore- Clark Kent had confused her beyond belief, and she wasn't quite ready to understand yet.

In one last attempt, he slid his hand behind her back, causing shivers to roll down her spine. He leaned in closer, his eyelids heavy with lust. Lois abruptly brought her hands up to his chest, halting him once again. "Please. Don't."

As he stared into her frightened hazel eyes, he felt his heart sink into a deep abyss of unreturned feelings. With one last movement, he slowly unzipped her dress and reluctantly broke away from her. "I'll be outside."

Lois nodded dumbly, a numb sensation overriding her system. As she slowly stepped out of her dress, she found it almost impossible to look at herself in the mirror.

_'What did I just do?'_

* * *

_**To be continued...**_


	14. Reverse

**Summary:** Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple, that is. Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

**Previously on Forged I.D.'s and I Do's:**

"_We have to convince him, and everyone." Clark sighed, surrendering. "Once we walk through that door," he said, pointing at the entryway. "We're not Clark Kent and Lois Lane. We're Tod and Erin, married, and in love. ...It's going to be weird and hard, but its just going to have to be."_

_***_

"_I guess... its finally time to get into... um, Married-Mode."_

_She looked up at him, her lips slightly parted in fear. "And what exactly does 'Married-Mode' consist of...?" _

_He gulped, afraid of what his answer should be. "Um..."_

_***_

_  
__  
_"_I want that picture you took in my hands by the end of the day so I can burn it." Lois said, speaking of the priceless snapshot Jimmy took when walking in the apartment, after finding Clark and Lois in a compromising position._

"_Here. Give this to Lois," Jimmy said, his hands shaking."I can't do it, man. She's scary." Jimmy said, handing him what looked like a small sheet of paper. He held it in his hands. Once getting a better look at it, he saw it wasn't paper after all, It was a picture. To be exact, the picture that Jimmy took when he and Chloe walked in on Lois and himself playing Strip Poker. He didn't have much time to contemplate it because he noticed Jimmy eyes open wide when Lois began to walk towards them. He shoved the picture in his back pocket, lucky she hadn't noticed. _

_Later on that day, he couldn't give her the picture. Maybe he didn't want to... He slid the photo under the couch cushions, hiding it from curious hazel eyes._

_***_

"_Kiss... Me." he whispered in the dead air._

_Clark took in a breath and bravely dove for her face, pressing his lips against Lois' parted mouth, shutting her up in mid-sentence. She found herself paralyzed, for she.. Lois Lane was kissing.. Clark Kent._

Her body shook in his arms not knowing how to react to her emotions. He hugged her tighter, his left hand cupping the side of her face, the other on her lower back. Finally relaxing, she wrapped her arms around his neck, twirling his hair around her fingers. She softly sucked his top lip, her feelings pouring over him. Wait- Feelings? Lois tensed up at the thought, but soon found herself torn away from the idea. They found themselves lost in each other, discovering the other's weaknesses and strengths. But then, something happened. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open. She looked at her surroundings. Something was wrong. She slid a hand over his chest, tearing his lips away from hers. They stared at each other in silence, knowing that things would never be the same.

_***__  
He took a step closer, slowly closing distance between them.  
_  
"_What are you doing?" Lois whispered, finding it difficult to tear her eyes away from his luring lips that hung a few inches from her own._

Suddenly, the curtain slid open, the sound causing Lois' head to snap in its direction. "What are you doing in here? I could have been changing." Lois said, avoiding Clark's piercing blue eyes.

"_Lois- I think you know."_

"_No, I don't. What are you talking about?"_

"_I'm just going to come out and say it... Living with you has been a roller coaster, and there are times where I want to tape your mouth shut and roll my eyes to no extent," _

_Lois squinted her eyes, unsure of what has happening. "Clark where are you trying to go with this?" He nodded, continuing, "but most of the time... I think I have these feelings,"_

_Lois held up a hand. "Stop." _

"_What?" Clark asked, shocked._

_She shook her head violently. "Please, don't finish."_

_As he stared into her frightened hazel eyes, he felt his heart sink into a deep abyss of unreturned feelings. With one last movement, he slowly unzipped her dress and reluctantly broke away from her. "I'll be outside."_

_Lois nodded dumbly, a numb sensation overriding her system. As she slowly stepped out of her dress, she found it almost impossible to look at herself in the mirror. _

_'What did I just do?'  
_

* * *

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Thirteen:**

**REVERSE**

Reverse:_-noun_

1. opposite or contrary in position, direction, order, or character

2. an adverse change of fortune; a misfortune, check, or defeat

* * *

_What did I just do?_, that question continued to swim around in Lois' mind. Clark was just such a good person, so sweet, funny, charming, and even a little nerdy. Lois smiled quietly just thinking about him. He was also always there for her, during the good and the bad. And then there were pivotal moments they shared, that made a part of her closer to him. Closer than she ever thought...

_Feeling empty and discouraged, Lois squinted one eye, and with the other, looked into Clark's telescope. She kept trying to fight the knot in her throat, knowing she should be strong for The General, and for Lucy. She would find her, she vowed that she would. She sighed hoping in some remote way to find comfort in the stars. _

_Suddenly she heard Clark's deep voice fill the room, "I thought you said, that telescopes were for geeks and stalkers." She swiftly turned around, attempting to cover the telescope with her body as best as she could. Resigning to the fact that he had seen her, she cooked up a reply._

"_Yeah, well as was proven over the last few days.. I can seriously misjudge people." _

_Her mind raced in the awkwardness after opening up to Clark. She brewed up a new topic._

"_You know, if you've come here to kick me off the farm- I completely understand." She set her hands on her hips, waiting for an answer. _

_Clark's face began to grimace, as he slowly squeezed his hands into his jean's pockets. "Yeah. Um," he took a few steps closer, "actually I came here to tell you we have food in the oven," Lois began to nod, feeling stupid all of the sudden._

"_-if you're hungry."_

"_-Thanks." The Kent's were the nicest people she'd ever known, including Clark. It never failed to throw her off when they... when **he** was so kind to her._

_She found herself staring silently into his eyes, and all he managed to do was smile sheepishly._

"_How you holding up?" he asked._

"_I just got off the phone with The General."_

_Clark's face took a dramatic change, "Oh. That was all the screaming I heard from the house."_

"_Yeah." She smiled a little awkward, and a little proud. "Well apparently he is **very** disappointed in me- for letting this happen, and as far as our family chain of command goes, I am the weakest link."_

_Clark smiled sadly, "I'm sorry."_

_Sorry? _

"_Don't be. You know, there's something cathartic about telling a three-star general to go to hell." She turned around, once again feeling a knot form in her throat. Her eyes began to water, and was thankful he couldn't see her. "You know all these years I thought I had my sister pegged. But, uh," she shook her head and turned around. "In reality? She's a complete stranger to me." _

_Clark nodded silently, "Even if that **were **true, I think that if she called you tomorrow, you'd be there in a second to help her."_

_She stared, amazed at how well he knew her considering they had met a few weeks earlier._

"_Yeah, I would... she's my sister." she said and shrugged. She bit her lip and blinked a few times._

_He smiled while nodding, then took a few steps closer. "I don't think Lucy is all that bad." _

_It was at that moment that Lois had to force herself to shove any fuzzy feelings to the back of her mind. Because it was then that she realized that she had never met anybody, any guy, that was as great and genuine as Smallville was. She didn't know it then, but she would later long for someone like Clark. The way she longed now for, not a man like Clark, but the man Clark had become. _

_She cocked her head to the side. "You're amazing Smallville." _

_He looked at her and furrowed his eyebrows, feeling lost and confused. "You always look for the best in people, even when they walk all over you."_

_He understood and smiled. "I guess that explains why we're friends."_

"_Oh, we're friends now?"_

"_Well, I mean if- I won't tell anybody if you don't." He stared back at her, his eyes exuding confidence. She nodded slowly as he began to smile widely She walked past him, but not before punching his arm in a customary manner. He turned around to watch her go, and their eyes quickly met as she stopped at the top of the stairs. Little did she know, that Clark had continued to stare at the spot where she had stood long after she was gone._

_-----_

_After the events from earlier that week, all Lois could think about was moving out of Clark's room and having the Talon apartment all to herself. As they set her boxes down on the counter, Chloe had stopped by to show them her first byline in The Daily Planet. _

"_Congratulations." they had both said in unison. They looked at each other, annoyed and confused._

"_Thanks, but you deserve half the credit. I mean, I'd still be playing point guard at the pet obituary hotline if it weren't for you two."_

"_Ah, It says here Interpol was able to arrest them due to an anonymous tip." He eyed Chloe, waiting for her reply on that. _

_She avoided the matter, and eyed the empty apartment."About that heavy lifting..." she said and left._

"_Uhu.." Clark said, and continued reading the paper. He began to walk to the doorway, leaving a bashful Lois behind._

"_Clark?"_

_He turned around, waiting for her to speak up. She walked up to him, closing the majority of the distance. _

"_Look, I'm not great at this, so just keep your mouth shut and listen up." He eyed her scared and terrified. What had he thought she would say?_

"_Even though I was kicking butt on the helicopter.. it was, really nice to have backup... and you didn't have to come after me, but you always do. So I wanted to say Thank You- you're a really good friend."_

_Clark smiled sheepishly as he was about to leave, only to be interrupted by Lois once again._

"_Oh, and uh, about the lap dance.. If you decide to tell anybody about it?" She took a breath,"Your Elmer Fudd night-light will make a **very** public appearance." She smiled flirtatiously, and let an embarrassed Clark walk out the door, speaking up as he stopped at the hallway. "Aye, Aye," _

_He turned around and smiled, "Sailor."_

_Lois cocked her head to the side, watching him go and it was she who then continued to gaze at the spot where Clark had once stood. She puckered her lips, amused at his behavior. And in the solitude of her new apartment, Lois smiled like an idiot._

_  
-----_

_A million questions ate at her, and the worst part about it, is she could never get the answers. She always hated Valentine's Day. If only she had trusted her gut, to let Jimmy go to the Talon's V-Day party alone. But no.. he insisted that she should get out of the apartment and have some fun. And yes she did have fun, but 1: it was with CLARK (!!!!) and 2: she didn't remember any of it. It always came back to that. She began to think though.. did she want to remember it? She rubbed a wet towel over her temporary tattoo as she inspected its appearance in the mirror before her. She sighed. 'Clark and Lois Forever.' She snorted bitterly. The irony of it all. Clark still had feelings for Lana, and she still had feelings for Oliver, and the two most emotionally unavailable people get busy and don't remember a thing about said business, and the only keepsake they had was a cheap temporary tattoo. She decided she shouldn't keep thinking about.. She snorted once again. Who was she kidding?! She grabbed her keys from off the counter. At least she shouldn't think about it alone. _

_She found herself at the barn, after having knocked on the screen door of the yellow Kent house and receiving no answer. At the bottom of the loft's stairs, she took a second the rethink her decision to come see him. Without making up her mind, she decided to just wing it._

"_Clark! Girl Alert!" She raced up the stairs, skipping ever other step. She found that she was anxious to see him. She stopped in her tracks when she not only found Clark, but also his mom. She gulped. _

"_Oh.. Sorry Mrs. Kent." Maybe it had been a better idea to have stayed home? But, all Martha did was smile and affectionately pat her arm when leaving. Great. Alone, with Clark._

"_Hey Lois." he said, apparently not happy to see her. He put his large hands on his hips, waiting for Lois to start talking the way she always did._

"_Yeah. Hi." They stared at each other awkwardly. Lois rubbed her hands together, 'I knew I should have not come.' she thought. She was tempted to just leave, but she would stay and be brave._

"_Well I... talked to Chloe," Lois began, walking up the rest of the steps. "and uh, she filled me in on.." she took in a breath,"Lois gone Wild." she said, in an attempt to lighten the mood. "But, I'm just missing a few details... about Us." _

_Clark swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. She sighed, and grabbed her yellow collar, pulling it outward exposing her inkwork. She rolled her eyes,"Like this." _

_Clark didn't need to look at Lois' indication, for he had gotten a much better view of her tattoo the night before. He stood confidently, crossing his arms. "Wow Lois, I had no idea." he said, with dry sarcasm._

_Annoyed, Lois glared at him, "Save it Smallville, I was **obviously** on something." she spat while walking over to the couch. She made herself comfortable, crossing her jean-clad legs over his coffee table. "Thank god the ink wears off in a week." she said, scratching the flesh that sported the red heart and binding script. She sighed, and clasped her hands together in a cheerful manner. She smiled up at him, and Clark simply eyed her back, his arms still crossed. Being consumed with further silence, Lois shared the bright side of it all._

"_Well, it's best that neither of us remembers.. I mean I can't really even picture the two of us, uh..." she stopped, not able to bring herself from sayingit._

_Clark raised his eyebrows, her behavior peaking his curiosity. She avoided his eyes, casting them downward. She then felt compelled to voice her fear. "You don't think..." She looked up, "that we..."_

_A smile spread on Clark's lips as he stepped further. "Think that we what?" he asked evilly._

_She sighed. Damn him. He wanted to hear her say it. She took a breath, her arm gesturing further. "You know..." she said, standing up from her seat. "that we..?" she asked, her head slightly nodding further. Clark smiled, raising his eyebrows while leaning in mischievously. Lois raised her own eyebrows and brought her shoulders up, a pleading look on her face. He couldn't keep teasing her after that, so he answered her question. "No Lois."_

_She sighed relieved. "I think I'd remember." he said. She squinted up at him, a smile forming. "Yeah... 'Course you would.." she said and brought her hand up to his arm, patting his shoulder amiably, "highlight of your life." She began to walk down the stairs when Clark called out from behind her, "Though I did find something."_

_She turned around, terrified of what his discovery had been. When she thought of it, she couldn't find her pair of blue lace panties that morning. He turned around, opening the top right drawer of his desk. To her relief, he pulled out a flat plastic object. He turned it over for her to see... it was a CD case. "I think you made it for me." _

_He handed her the object and she read it's cover. Not knowing the importance of it, Clark stood nonchalantly, watching her hold the CD. Still not believing what her eyes were seeing, she furrowed her brow. "Whitesnake." she gulped, shifting her weight onto her next leg. She flipped the cover to its other side, "Wow... I must have really liked you." She looked up at him, his face becoming expressionless. Two things ran through her mind. 1: she wished he would've found her panties instead and 2: she had been wrong. Her tattoo wasn't the only keepsake she'd have from this year's Valentine's Day. And unlike her tattoo, this one was permanent. _

_-----_

Remembering all those moments made her realize what an idiot she had just been. She knew, as hard as it was to admit, that she had feelings for Clark too. What they were exactly? She didn't know. Were they new? Or just accumulated and recently more evident? She didn't have a clue. What she did know? Was that she screwed up and she had to make things right. Maybe they could figure things out together? Maybe, just maybe... She nodded, deciding on that. She would march out there, apologize and propose to try things out. She smiled, feeling a wave of excitement surge through her. She slid the curtain open, and saw Clark leaning against a wall, his hands in his pockets. She didn't know how long she had been in the dressing room, but it must've not been _too_ long, for Clark didn't cut short her visit to Memory Lane. Or, perhaps he had been thinking too?

Cautiously, she walked up to him. For someone who had super-hearing Clark could be pretty deaf sometimes. She coughed, making her presence known. He turned to face her, surprised.

"Lois."

"Clark." she mimicked.

"Listen, we need to talk." he said.

Lois furrowed her eyebrows curiously, her smile still plastered on her face. "Oh. What about?"

"Yeah.. um, first of all I want to apologize for barging into your dressing room, it was, well... weird. I mean you could've been undressed, although I knew you were fully-clothed because I heard you having problems with your zipper, which is why I helped you with it before I left, so that meant you had yet to step out of your dress, and I made sure-"

"Clark." he stopped talking, and faced her, surprised at himself. "Stop rambling, that's my job. Get to the point."

He nodded. "And about what I said to you, or tried to say..."

"Yeah?" Lois felt her heart beating faster, her hands sweating.

He took a breath. "I take it back." he said quickly, getting it off his chest.

Lois felt her heart drop. Her hands began to sweat. She blinked once. Twice. "You... take it back?" Lois asked, making sure she heard correctly.

Clark shrugged carelessly. "Yeah, I mean... I guess the kiss today, and the living together, the pretending to be married stuff, well it screwed my head up... and so I was just confused. I mean... really? Us? Our friendship consists of a constant war of wits, a fun one, don't get me wrong... but we couldn't be anything other than friends... right?"

Lois laughed disbelievingly. It she believed in Karma, well, this would be definitely be the negative kind. "Of course not." she said, whispering emotionless.

"Good. So, can we pretend that never happened?"

"What never happened?" Lois said, pasting on a smile.

Clark smiled, the warmness in his features taunting her. "Thanks. So are you going to get the dress?"

Caught in a daze, she hadn't understood his question. "Dress?" Lois asked.

"Yeah.. the reason why we're at the dressing rooms." Lois looked down to the black clothing that hung over her arm. "Right! Dress- that you picked out." Lois mentally slapped herself. She needed to maintain her cool. Maybe Clark was right. They just weren't meant to be. This was _supposed_ to happen. This was the answer to her doubts, the resolution to her unverified feelings. Yes, it just had to. "Yes."

"Yes, what?" Clark asked.

Her eyes darted up to him, becoming aware of having thought aloud. "Yeah.. I will get the dress. A promise is a promise." Lois sighed, not sure how much longer she could keep up her charade of contentedness.

On their trek to the cashier's counter, Clark couldn't help but notice Lois lost in thought, her brow in a continuous furrow. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded absentmindedly, having not once looked up at him since they left the fitting rooms. He too nodded, tearing his eyes away from her, but not before shooting her a longing look. God only knew how many times Clark had lied to someone he loved, but this one seemed to hurt him the most. Maybe because he knew Lois didn't care, as opposed to other situations when both he and Lana longed to be together but it was his secret that tore them apart. No, this was different. Lois knew all about his origins and _still_ didn't reciprocate his feelings. It hurt him more this time around, because he knew there was nothing else he could do to make her love him. They would share nothing more than a brotherly bond. He was glad, though, that Lois bought his plea for insanity. Even if he couldn't love her the way he wanted to, he couldn't forgive himself for ruining any kind of relationship with her, even if it was strictly friendship.

When they reached the cashier's counter, Clark instantly felt a pain from within. It wasn't emotional, no, it was physical. He dropped to his knees, and clutched at his chest, struggling to breathe. "What's wrong?" Lois asked, crouching down beside him. He tried to answer but couldn't find his voice.

Lois stood up and turned to the shocked cashier before them. "Excuse us for a second." Lois said and smiled. She slung his arm over her neck and walked a few feet, and instantly Clark felt like himself again.

"You okay?" Lois asked, squeezing his arm. He nodded.

"I'll wait in the car." he said.

"No, we're leaving now."

"-No. Get the dress. I'm alright, besides you promised you would."

"But-"

"Go."

Lois reluctantly nodded.. "Stay safe, okay?" Clark smiled and walked out of the store and down the sidewalk, in search of the Volvo.

She took a breath and walked back to the counter. "Sorry about that." Lois said and smiled. She looked around inspecting the counter for kryptonite while the cashier rung her up.

"15.37 is your total." the cashier said. "Hope you don't mind me asking, but is your friend okay?"

Lois blinked rapidly, raising an eyebrow. "Friend? Do we look like friends?! Why can't we be more than that?" Not realizing, Lois tightened the grab on her leather bag, her knuckles turning white.

The cashier gulped nervously, avoiding eye contact with the irritated brunette. "I'm sorry ma'am, I was just worried.. forget I asked."

Realizing her little outburst, Lois sighed, feeling guilty."I'm sorry, I'm just... Yeah he's fine, nothing some Skittles couldn't fix."

"Low Blood sugar?"

"Yeah." Lois said, handing her a 20 dollar bill. As the cashier gathered her change, Lois spun the jewelry cases around, keeping her eyes peeled for green stones. "Do you guys sell any items with meteor rock here?" Lois asked, seemingly indifferent.

The cashier ripped her receipt from the feeder and handed it to Lois with her change. "No... but my necklace," the woman looked down, lifting her chain from under her shirt, revealing a bright green pendant. "It's made from Green Meteor rock. How did you know about it? Here in Metropolis a lot of people aren't aware of Smallville's beautiful rocks." she said and smiled.

"Oh... a friend of mine told me that... they're really pretty and cheap, perfect for the budget I have for completing this outfit." Lois said, surprised at the explanation she pulled out of nowhere.

"Oh, well I'm sorry, we don't sell any here. But you might consider driving down to Smallville for some. It's worth it."

She smiled. "Thank you, I will." Lois said, grabbing her plastic white bag from off the counter, waving goodbye before she left.

Once Lois Lane walked out the door, a man's body slowly began to form in the shadows. His piercing gray eyes began to darken as an overwhelming feeling of anger and betrayal came over him. Having confirmed his doubt's of their efforts in deceiving him, he vowed silently to not make the mistake he made the first time.

Killing them too quickly.

* * *

Lois sat Indian-style on one side of the couch, solving a crossword puzzle on the back of a tabloid magazine. Making deeper bite marks in her pencil, she realized she was stumped. Rolling her eyes and clenching her jaw, she flung the magazine across the room. "Stupid puzzle." Whining like the brat she knew she could be, she stretched out on the couch, laying flat on her stomach. Having her face pressed into the seat of the couch, Lois' nose was filled with a familiar scent.

Clark's scent.

The smell of his generic aftershave mixed with Irish Spring soap. She groaned. Was the world suddenly against her? Sure, she might have stolen a candy bar once, or cheated on a math quiz a few times, but did she really deserve this?

"Stop it." she murmured to no one. She never acted like a victim, and it was no time to start acting like one now. If anything, this was her fault, and she brought upon herself. "If you weren't such a coward, you could have been lying here with him." She lifted a corner of her mouth bitterly. Who was she kidding. It was evident he just confused... and maybe she was too? Maybe they were both results of Pretending Over-Dose? She heard the water stop running in the bathroom. Images of Clark, dripping wet in the shower came to mind suddenly, causing a frustrated Lois to jump up from the couch and kick the very cushion she sat on.

"Gah!" As she began to walk away from the sofa, something caught her eye. Making sure Clark had not gotten out of the bathroom yet, she crouched down to the floor and inspected a corner of what seemed like a sheet of paper peeking out from under the cushion.

"What the...?"

Slowly and cautiously, Lois pulled on the mysterious white corner until it ominously dropped to the floor, back side up. Swallowing hard, she reached for the squared object, squinting with precaution. In one brave and swift moment, the object was turned over, revealing it's contents.

"Lois, what are you doing sprawled out on the floor? Did you lose the control again?" Clark asked. In Lois' state of shock, she hadn't heard him get out of the bathroom. He stood at the doorway in a pair of sweatpants, a gray t-shirt along with a white towel that hung around his neck. He coughed to gain her attention.

"Lois?"

Her eyes darted up at him, fire burning in them. "What the _hell_ went through your mind when you decided to hide this from me?" Lois fumed, holding up a photograph.

Clark squinted, and sure enough it was the picture he hid in the sofa. The picture Jimmy took of Lois and him playing Strip Poker. Clark sighed and raked a hand through his wet hair. "Lois, let me expla-"

She held up a hand. "-I'm not finished. And not just any picture, no- guess what? We're both half naked, on my bed, at the Talon, with poker cards flying out every which way and I'm pretty sure that if I looked hard enough, I'll also find my say in things, because it seems I've lost that too. It seems to me that no one gives a damn when I ask for a favor, between friends no less, for something to be thrown away- for personal reasons, and it is completely disregarded by a 'friend' who I have to live with for the next week. How do you think this makes me feel? Knowing you'd do something shady like this behind my back? You say we're only capable of being friends, but now I'm not even sure about that, Clark."

He winced at the sound of his name, missing the way she called him 'Smallville.'

"What were you going to do with this? When were you going to tell me? Let me rephrase that, _If _you were going to tell me. I want to know. Right. Now."

He walked over to her, not knowing how to explain himself, for there was no reason for his actions. He stood there, like an idiot. In all the years he lied to everyone close to him in order to hide his secret, he found he couldn't bring himself to lie to her.

"Well?" Lois asked, raising an eyebrow. In an act of desperation to seek her forgiveness, Clark stormed over, and wrapped his arms around her, forcing her into an embrace. For a second it felt nice to be near him, to be surrounded by his strong arms, but reality quickly surfaced. She tore herself from him, shaking her head.

"Don't touch me, Clark. Better yet, don't talk to me." Feeling a massive knot forming in her throat, she exited the scene, leaving Clark behind.

It seemed to him, that no matter what he said or did, he was pushing Lois away.

In the darkness of the night, a restless Lois laid on her bed, curled up in a fetal position. She too was pushing Clark away, twice in a matter of hours. She knew she wasn't angry at the picture and it's existence, but it unwillingly served as an outlet for her anger. Maybe she _wanted_ to drive a wedge between them. Why? The only reason that came to mind, was that being friends with Clark was no longer bearable. She couldn't live with him, be around him, and enjoy his company pretending to only want his friendship, because it would hurt her too much. She had enough pretending outside the apartment, she didn't need any inside of it.

It was selfish, she knew... but she was angry at Clark, angry because he didn't love her _back._

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Author's Note: **Seems Clark's plea for insanity made Lois fully aware of the extent of her feelings, huh? But don't worry Lois will wake up with better judgment in the morning, she's still pissed at the moment. A few more chappies left, not sure how many, depends on how long the next one will be. Again, I'm sorry for being the horrible updater that I am, I just don't like my writing enough to do it often, and no this isn't me trying to fish for compliments, so don't- it's just all honesty. I do think, though, that after this story is finished that I'm just going to stick to art because I think I'm better at it, and I enjoy it more. Don't get me wrong, I like writing, but it's just a complicated thing for me, and I've been in home school for... 2 years now? My Writing course, was just the basics so I don't have a teacher to expand my knowledge with crap-loads of homework (talk about double-edge sword, huh?), and like I've said there are so many other talented and more experienced writers, that it really just crushes my self esteem whenever I have to compare. Sorry for being all lame and pitiful, but I swear I hate just as much as you do.

Any who, hope this chapter was bearable, and I hope to update sooner next time. Oh and thanks for the comments guys, it is seriously the only reason why I'm doing this, for you all. :)


	15. Quarrel

********************************

**Summary:**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

**Forged I.D.'s and I Do's**

_by Chinita92_

**Chapter Fourteen:**

QUARREL

Quarrel:

_-noun_

1. an angry dispute or altercation; a disagreement marked by a temporary or permanent break in friendly relations.

* * *

_Drops of water rhythmically cut down over them, soaking her clothes and his bare skin. Not knowing what else to do, she wrapped her arms over his upper body, shifting his head onto her collar. She brought two fingers up, for what seemed like the 7__th__ time, and pressed it against his neck. Once again, she hardly felt a pulse. So, she attempted something that she knew she was good at._

"_Clark, its Lois. Listen, you're home now. Wake up." She struggled to say as her throat closed up. "Please… I'm so sorry. I should've gotten to you earlier. I'm so sorry. So, so sorry." She pushed back his drenched locks with her tremulous fingertips, wishing he'd open his vibrant blue eyes. "I promise that if you get through this, I'll… I'll stop taking the last piece of pie... yes, it's been me the whole time," Lois blinked out the tears that clouded her vision. "I'll stop insisting on driving your truck. I know how much you hate that, given the history you have with totaling your cars. Is this your… 6__th__ truck already?" She smiled sadly, tasting the saltiness of her tears. "Look at me, Smallville, crying in the shower. Can it get any cornier than that? Of course, if it were in the rain that would beat it out of the ballpark of all things cheesy." She said, furiously wiping her face, only to get soaked seconds after. _

"_I'm rambling aren't I?"_

* * *

--96 HOURS EARLIER

Clark sighed as he sat alone in the breakfast table, swirling the orange juice in his glass. It had been 3 days of complete silence. Who knew he'd trade a lifetime of quiet in exchange for an hour of nonstop Lois Lane ramblings. It had become ridiculous, really. And what ate at him, was that he had no idea how to fix it. One thing he knew for sure... it was inconceivable for Clark Kent to have Lois Lane never speak to him again. It just couldn't happen. It _wouldn't_ happen.

Lois shut the bedroom door behind her and strolled on into the kitchen. Just like that. Without a care in the world.

"Good morning, Lois." He said nonchalantly. Although she replied nothing, she stopped in her tracks and shot him a quick look, but the daze was over in nothing. She continued over to the coffee pot, her mouth only opening for a yawn. Clark rolled his eyes. This was getting old.

"Lois, do you plan on talking to me, or do you want to simultaneously combust at your lack of speech? I don't remember you ever going this long without speaking. It's just 'un-Lane' like."

She shut her eyes, hoping she could wish herself away from this retched apartment. "No offense to you Jimmy." She murmured thoughtlessly to herself.

Clark immediately spun out of his chair and stood by her side. "You spoke." He said in a statement, not a question. Lois simply shrugged and walked to the fridge in search of coffee creamer.

"It's obvious you're not mute, Lois. Just say something, please. Anything. Curse me out for all I care, but you're driving me crazy here."

Lois turned to Clark, looking bored whilst stirring her cup of Joe. _'There go those damn puppy dog eyes. I will not give in. Never.'_ she thought and walked over the table, sipping from one of Jimmy's tacky mugs. She glanced at the newspaper with a grimace. Stupid bimbo from the Inquisitor stole her Bigfoot byline. Feeling a pair of, most likely, blue-green eyes burning holes through her flannel PJs, Lois threw her stare-down partner a side look that could send a full grown man crying to his mother. Clark was apparently not very fluent in body language. Instead of backing down, Clark pretty much did the opposite.

"Lois, you know... this is beyond ridiculous. We're not 10 years old. When two people have an issue, they work it out," he said, coming closer and closer until their bodies were inches apart. She gulped, feeling her pulse speed up. She hated him. She sat up on the table behind her, desperate for some form of space. Was he going to bust a move on her, again? All of a sudden, she wished she had used mouthwash that morning. She glanced at her attire. Ugh. She wore pink and purple kites on a clouded yellow backdrop. It didn't help with the whole '10 year old' illustration in his ongoing speech. By the time she looked up, Clark was walking away, his cup of orange juice in hand. What had he said? She sighed.

"Fine."

Clark turned around, a ridiculously giddy smile on his face. "You're back! Or at least your voice is. Do it again."

Once she had opened her mouth, all her willpower vanished with her silence. "Who were you calling a 10 year old? Did you just hear yourself?"

"Sorry, Lois. I'm just so happy you're speaking to me again."

"Don't get too worked up there, cowboy. You're not off the lasso just yet, if you get my drift."

He took a second to process her tremendously random analogy, to then realize he had another problem to deal with.

"I'm only speaking to you to prove that I am not a child," she paused and glanced at her pajamas for the second time that morning, "despite my choice of attire." Lois puffed her chest out in phony confidence to compensate for the embarrassment.

Clark, too, followed her line of vision to admire her cute cartoon kites and smiled. "I don't care about your pajamas, Lois. In fact, I like them. It makes you... well, _you_; which is why your silent treatment drove me out of my mind. It's like hearing a cat bark. It's unnatural."

Lois held her hands up. "I can't say I'm sure if that's a compliment, but I will say this. You're crazy. The years we've known each other, you've always complained about my big mouth. Now, all of a sudden you want to insure it?" She said, shaking her head in confusion.

"I guess the saying is true… you don't know what you've got until it's gone." Clark said, his voice a little shaky; he wasn't sure if Lois caught the dual meaning in his words.

"Uh, well I guess." Lois looked down to her fuzzy bunny slippers, feeling her face light on fire. Lois Lane was a smart woman.

"So, we're good?" Clark asked, hoping the photo ordeal would be a thing of the past.

Slowly, Lois raised her head, allowing her vision to align with Clark's. That's when he caught sight of her disbelieving stare.

"I guess not…" he mumbled.

"Are you _kidding_ me? You think you can throw me a charming smile, an 'earth-shattering' revelation regarding my vocal chords and I'll fall at your feet?" Lois asked, throwing up her guard once again. She couldn't let him in for a second time, not after he made it clear that he was momentarily confused back at the store... when he came onto her. She sighed. All she had to do was keep her distance for the remaining week and she'd be home free. _Back to normal._ A nagging voice in the back of her head told her things would never go back to how they were, but she resisted.

"Lois. I'll do anything. I don't like having this," he stuttered, waving his arms around, feeling unsure of the word he was looking for, "this… _thing _between us, and of all things because of a picture."

"Whoa. What _thing_, Clark? There's not a _thing _going on between us." Lois spat out, turning around and snatching the newspaper off the breakfast table. She stood there avoiding the after effects of the words she had just said. It seemed Clark was taken aback since they both stood in silence for a good minute.

"I'll throw the picture out. Rip it up. Burn it. Freeze it, and then drop it off the roof. Take your pick, Lois." Clark said in the dead air. "That _is_ the reason why you're angry with me... right?"

'_Damn it.'_ Lois thought. _'That's what I get for shoving my whole leg down my esophagus.'_

"I'll take 'none of the above'." She answered and then spun around, facing him once again. "I'll keep it under my personal supervision, though. I don't trust you just yet, Smallville." Lois said, avoiding his latter question, but soon thought of her own to ask. "By the way, you never did tell me why you kept the photo. It's a little weird, don't you think?" Lois asked, feeling the ball rolling on her side of the court again.

Clark squinted, thinking just how to answer the lady's daring query. "I'll let you know as soon as you explain why you got so worked up about it in the first place." he paused for dramatic effect, " It was a little weird… don't you think?"

She couldn't believe he was doing that. "Well, for one… you kept something from me. You were sneaky. You mopped the floor with what I told Jimmy, which was 'I want that picture gone'- as in, Adios, Nonexistent, Forgotten, Extinct, etc .etc. etc!" Lois replied heatedly. Numbering things off had a certain effect on her.

"Lois, we both know that you overreacted. There's something else that's bothering you and I want you to tell me…" Clark pleaded sincerely. Noticing Lois' defensive stance didn't budge, he treaded on, "and since I suspect you won't, let's make a deal. When you decide to tell me why you're _truly_ upset, I'll tell you why I kept the photograph."

Lois let the idea sink in. "..._Or_ you tell me why you kept it, and I'll tell you why I got mad." Lois said, her voice projecting satisfaction.

_Lois Lane: 1_

_Clark Kent: 0_

He hadn't expected her to pull a reverse on him. If he opened up to Lois first, there was a possibility that she would still plead the fifth… and he'd end up like an idiot. Clark remained silent and kept it safe.

"Then I guess I'll never know." Lois whispered, with what Clark swore was a pinch of disappointment. She began to walk away from him, her cup of cold coffee in her hands and the rolled up newspaper under her right arm. He sped in front of her, causing her to stop abruptly, and in result to spill her coffee on her pajama top.

"Clark!" Lois shrieked when feeling the sticky cold substance seep through her clothing.

"I'm so sorry, Lois. It seems I can't do anything right lately." He said, his shoulders sagging.

"I have to go change." Lois said, dropping her mug into the kitchen sink. Clark watched her walk into her bedroom and shut the door behind her. He made his way over to the couch and sunk into its seat cushions.

"Real smooth."

* * *

Lois paced over to Jimmy's master bath, dropping the scarcely wet newspaper on the linoleum floor. She hastily removed her clothes and dropped them in the hamper, anxious to be free of them. Opening the shower curtain she found her towel was missing.

"Great." She turned around and made her way to the door, but stopped dead in her tracks. She bent down and picked up the newspaper, which had coincidentally fallen in the Matrimony section.

"Lex Luthor and Lana Lang married." Lois read aloud and swallowed hard. "Clark will be heartbroken." She stood up and burst through the door that opened up to her room. She dropped the newspaper on the floor and kicked it under the bed. Having retrieved her towel and clean clothes, Lois returned to the bathroom.

Halfway through her shower, she decided she wouldn't tell Clark. It just wasn't the right time. They had three days left and she would make sure they were the angst-free, worry-free, and peaceful. She reasoned that he'd have plenty of pining and suffering to deal with when they'd get back home to Smallville. Why give him a head-start?

"Besides, three more days of friendly behavior with Clark can't _really_ cause much more amorous damage." Lois rationalized aloud.

…Right?

_To be continued…_

* * *

A/N: We'll soon be at the beginning of this chapter- at the point where Lois… is in the shower with Clark? Gasp. Why?! Lol. Okay. So the part I've been avoiding. You guys have every right to hate me for 1: taking a year to update, and 2: posting a boring chapter nonetheless. Sorry! Expect the next chapters to be fluffy Clois that will indeed backfire Lois' reasoning: 3 more days can very well complicate things _even more_ between these two. Again, I'm so sorry.

I also want to thank all of you guys who have waited this whole time. I honestly didn't think people were still thinking about this story. In addition, I want to thank Loulou26's story Epiphany for inspiring me to write again (that and all of your reviews, guys.).

You're all the best!

QUARREL

Chapter Fourteen:

_by Blazel_

Forged I.D.'s and I Do's

****

Disclaimer:


End file.
